A High-Wire Act

There are no easy questions during Obama's road trip

By Richard Wolffe | Newsweek Web Exclusive

Jul 22, 2008 | Updated: 1:15 p.m. ET Jul 22, 2008

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Standing opposite the Roman ruins of a Temple to Hercules, Barack Obama did a public high-wire act on Tuesday: undertaking to answer a week's worth of complex foreign policy questions without making any campaign-threatening stumbles.

The press conference atop the ancient Citadel in Amman, Jordan, was Obama's first session with the press since he flew to Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq last week. In the last four days, he has enjoyed at least two measures of good fortune that have helped him stay on course.

First, the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, effectively endorsed Obama's 16-month timeframe for withdrawing from Iraq, suggesting the end of 2010 as an end-date for U.S. troops to leave. Maliki's office half-heartedly tried to backtrack on that support for a similar timeline, under pressure from the White House, but then wound up talking anew about a date certain. His interjection makes it much harder for McCain to argue that Obama's withdrawal plan is reckless.

Second, Obama got some priceless photo ops-alongside Gen. David Petraeus on a helicopter tour of Iraq, and eating alongside the troops in the Middle East. Those images give Obama ammunition to use in combating one of John McCain's major criticisms of the Democratic contender-that he lacks the foreign policy experience necessary for success in the White House.

But those advantages didn't prevent Obama from looking wobbly once in awhile. He was pressed repeatedly by Jordanian reporters about his position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ahead of his travel to Jerusalem and Ramallah on Wednesday. When asked about U.S. support for Israel, Obama intended to send a strong message that the United States would remain supportive of its ally. Instead his response came out this way. "Well let me be absolutely clear. Israel is a strong friend of Israel's," he declared. "It will be a strong friend of Israel's under a McCain administration. It will be a strong friend of Israel's under an Obama administration. So that policy isn't going to change."

Obama's most challenging question, asked in several different formulations, was about his approach to the commanders on the ground in Iraq. If the commanders, especially Gen. Petraeus, told him this wasn't the right time to leave Iraq, would he ignore them?

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Posted By: joe_mama @ 08/05/2008 11:27:01 PM

Sport --

The stand I take is: the one who retaliated is JUST AS GUILTY AS the one who started it.

But then again, my children don't fight because they know it's wrong.

JM
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Posted By: tiredofobama @ 07/30/2008 11:50:43 PM

Cloudosmoke. I think that you missed Pearson's point. He probably meant that Obama was not a Congressman when the whole thing was voted on in 2003. That was ONE year before Obama was elected.

As far as McCain not thinking on his feet, your pal Obama isn't good at it either. When Terry Moran peppered Obama with questions about the surge, all Obama did was stutter and stammer around. He gave a very incoherent answer. Yeah when Obama has his prepared speech of CHANGE, HOPE, YES WE CAN he does alright. But in answering pointed questions he doesn't strike me as being the fastest thinker.

As far as policies for Obama: no energy policy, economics (raise taxes), foreign policy (appease terrorists and dictators). It sounds like you better stick to watching Bill and Ted's Big Adventure (DUDES and DUDETTES). This election is definitely too big for you.
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Posted By: Cloudosmoke @ 07/29/2008 8:27:39 AM

Where did I say I lied? Obama was voted into Congress in 2004 so yeah that does make him a Congressman. He didn't and still doesn't support the war. I don't support the war and the Americans that vote him into office in November will say, "we didn't support the war." So get over yourself and give up on trying to call people out, you don't know squat. Flip flop is a GOP invented phrase, so use it on your own candidate. I see you still on that same old Rev. Wright material... it's outdated my friend. If that's all you have, then you have no argument.

McCain on the other hand, doesn't have a platform for the ecnomy other than standing in front of a restaurant or in front of cereal looking like someone applying for the store manger position. Obama has presented his Social Security, Economic, Energy, Foreign Policy, Global Poverty and even addressed Black America platforms. What has McCain presented, not a thang... not a thang. =)

McCain will not make ground because he is too busy whining about Obama this, Obama that. He doesn't know where he is half the time, much less he can't even read a map to know what country is what and which Continent is where. He can't remember how he voted on issues when asked so he obviously didn't think to hard about whether to say yea or nay because he was following suit to the Republican votes. This election is too big for you. Stay on the porch.