[lit-ideas] Re: More on Taheri Report
- From: "Phil Enns" <phil.enns@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:44:21 +0700
Lawrence Helm quotes:
"Taheri reported that Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's advisers wonder
if Obama is privately working to delay troop withdrawal until after
the election in order to claim credit – should Obama win the
presidency – for ending the war. Indeed, say Talabani's advisers,"
reports Taheri, "a President Obama might be tempted to appropriate the
victory that America has already won in Iraq by claiming that his
intervention transformed failure into success."
A story that depends on reports of people wondering and guessing about
other people's temptations doesn't strike me as being a reliable piece
of journalism. Bush has already made clear that he will leave the
issue of troop withdrawal to the next president, so it makes no sense
to claim that Obama is trying to delay the troop withdrawal.
The Iraqis are not happy with the terms the Bush administration is
offering so it makes sense for Obama to make clear that he would offer
different terms and that the Iraqis have options. I am very confident
McCain has made a similar approach. Why should the Iraqis not try and
get the best possible deal for themselves? But for McCain and Obama,
my guess is that the primary issue is that an Iraqi deal set now is a
deal they will have to live with for the duration of their presidency.
Why should they be content with Bush setting Iraqi policy for their
presidency?
What Lawrence quotes is terrible journalism. Both McCain and Obama
have a vested interest in making sure that any deals Bush makes now
are deals they can live with. Furthermore, both candidates will want
to make clear to partners considering any such deals, what they will
do as president. This is not a matter of 'taking credit' but being
able to formulate their own policies instead of having to deal with
the legacy of Bush. That the source of the quote twists this reality
of politics into mind-reading and fortune-telling tells me all that I
need to know about the credibility of the source.
Sincerely,
Phil Enns
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
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