Quote:
Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy
I think Americans want the war in Iraq to end, but a large percentage understand the the consequences of a quick, complete withdrawal.
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Agreed. And I do think this could be a problem for Obama. In fact, even he advocates a staged withdrawal, not a precipitous one--but perception=reality in the world of politics, and he has become the candidate of "cut and run," which could hurt him as election day gets closer. As I've said many times, it's just too early to tell.
As for McCain, he's packaged his message on Iraq very poorly so far. The whole "we could be there 100 years" comment was a huge, huge mistake. It's a remark that the Democrats can take out of context and blow way out of proportion--and they're already doing it. What McCain actually
meant was something along the lines of "we'll stay as long as it takes to get the job done right." Which would have been a much better thing to say. Politics is all about how you package your message. The Bushies were great at it--but McCain hasn't shown that facility with language yet--and he needs to if he's going to bridge the "charisma gap" that he has with Obama.
You know who McCain reminds me of? Walter Mondale. Mondale, when he was running against Reagan, made the unpleasant but very true argument that Reagan's policies would have to be paid for with a tax increase--just to bring the fiscal house back in order. He was telling the truth--a "straight talk express"
avant-la-lettre, if you like. But the American people rewarded him by sending him to the worst loss in the history of presidential politics. He won ONLY his home state of Minnesota. That's right--he won ONE state.
Reagan? He continued to run up huge deficits. He even raised taxes--a little. But he did it with a smile, and charmed America's socks off.
The moral of the story is that it's not enough to be right. Especially if your message isn't one America wants to hear. McCain needs to figure this out--and repackage his message fast. In fact, he should hire Karl Rove--you heard it here first.