Obama's Antiwar Stance: That Was Then, This Is Now

2002 state vote not enough to hang a campaign on
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 25, 2008 2:30 PM CDT
Obama's Antiwar Stance: That Was Then, This Is Now
Barack Obama, left, and top U.S. military commander in Iraq, David Petraeus.   (AP Photo/Ssg. Lorie Jewell, HO)

There's no reason to assume that Barack Obama would have voted against the war if he’d been in the Senate in 2002, James Kirchick writes for Politico. As a state senator, Obama was aligned with his liberal constituency in opposing the Iraq invasion; as a thoroughly briefed US senator with access to high-level intel, he might very well have been on the winning end of the 77-23 vote that approved the invasion.

Furthermore, Kirchik contends, "John McCain’s judgment vastly exceeds that of Barack Obama." That particularly applies in analyzing the run-up to the troop surge: "Had we listened to Obama back in January 2007, the effects of the surge would never have materialized, and we would not be in the place we are today." (More Barack Obama stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X