The Note: Obama Seeks Fresh Start on Iraq

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The Note: Obama Seeks Fresh Start on Iraq

July 15, 2008 8:13 AM

ABC News' Rick Klein Reports in Tuesday's Note: Is good news out of Iraq good news for Sen. Barack Obama? (Yes, and no.)

Is bad news out of Iraq good news for Barack Obama? (No, and yes.)

Can any news he picks up in Iraq change his position? (Yes, but not really.)

Is there anything Obama can do about any of this? (No, and probably still no.)

As Obama, D-Ill., attempts to hit restart on the Iraq debate with a speech in Washington Tuesday, it’s useful to remember how tough this is to get right -- not just for him, but for any politician who’s come into contact with the chaotic politics of the conflict.

The broad strokes may be painted in his direction, and he may yet turn his trip to Iraq and Afghanistan into a pure plus. But the early signs aren’t encouraging -- drawing him criticism from the left and the right -- and thus the need for a new start.

As unpopular as the war is -- and as much as the Democrats have portrayed Sen. John McCain as a continuation of Bush-era policies -- voters say they are as likely to support McCain’s plans Iraq plans as they do Obama’s.

Read the rest of The Note -- and get all the latest on the 2008 election, Congress, the White House and the wide world of politics every day -- from Rick Klein by bookmarking this link.

"Americans divide evenly between Barack Obama and John McCain's approaches to the war in Iraq, and rate McCain much more highly on his abilities as commander-in-chief -- key reasons the unpopular war isn't working more to Obama's advantage," ABC polling director Gary Langer writes.

Obama’s troop withdrawal plan is preferred by a bare 50-49 edge -- and here’s one possible reason why: "Seventy-two percent of Americans -- even most Democrats -- say [McCain would] be a good commander-in-chief of the military," Langer writes. "By contrast, fewer than half, 48 percent, say Obama would be a good commander-in-chief, a significant weakness on this measure."

Check out the partisan split: "Sixty-nine percent of Democrats say he'd do well in this role; just 44 percent of independents and a mere 19 percent of Republicans agree," Langer writes.

"The poll results suggest that months of Democratic attacks on McCain's Iraq position have not dented voters' basic trust in his ability to lead the country's armed forces," Jonathan Weisman and Jon Cohen write in The Washington Post.

Continue reading today's Note by clicking HERE.

ABC News' John Santucci and Alexa Ainsworth contributed to this report.

July 15, 2008 in Hunter, Duncan, Kucinich, Dennis, Tancredo, Tom, Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (29)

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Obama's strength in Iraq is in voting against this war in the first place.Posted by: DAVID NH | Jul 15, 2008 8:45:12 AM

---------------------------------
He never got to vote he was not in the Senate, only been there for 145 days!!
He does vote to fund the war each and every time now!!!
I was against the war too, I could not vote agaisnt it either, could you?

Posted by: HP Boston | Jul 15, 2008 11:24:58 AM

What American needs is a rookie who can make all the mistakes that Bush did? Then they can prove to the world that race is never a factor in America.

Obama the untouchable has lost some of his glamour and seek a new booster before Nov. He needs more than Votmains.

Posted by: John_Lai | Jul 15, 2008 11:57:32 AM

geevil:
You shouldn't be surprised!
Obama is a Phoney! He has Morphed
into Bill Clinton!
Instead of trying to define the word
"is" he has come up with the term
"refine" to describe his many recent
policy flip-flops!
His refusal to recognize the
unqualified success of the troop "surge"
shows that he lacks the integrity and
judgement to be President of the
United States of America!
Just Say No to Obama! No You Can't!

Posted by: reaganfan | Jul 15, 2008 12:31:10 PM

Could someone tell me how many high-paid speech writer Senator Obama has in his campaign? His speeches sound good when spoken with the help of a TelePrompter but I don't think they are his personally written speeches and think he says exactly what he thinks people want to hear. The question is: Can he he actually make the changes he wants.

Posted by: Mary | Jul 15, 2008 12:45:19 PM

Obama is just another corrupt and lying politician who fools those who are most susceptible to being fooled. Nothing more!

There's no limit to the depth he'll sink to feed his ego. What a loser!

Posted by: Aston | Jul 15, 2008 12:48:29 PM

In the year 2000, we elected a Governor from texas with little foreign policy experience and look what we got\1

8 years later it seems several people have not learned their lesson, supporting a Senator from the Great State of Illinois, with little or no foreign policy whatsoever.

Human beings are the only animal to make the same mistake twice or sometimes it seems that we make the same mistake several times. We just do not learn.

Posted by: Gabriel | Jul 15, 2008 1:38:42 PM

Obama: Living proof that you can fool some of the people all of the time!

Posted by: Soetoro No! | Jul 15, 2008 2:02:51 PM

Past Predictions: Obama's new speech on Iraq---check! Photo ops with military---; Photo ops with troops---; Photos ops landing back in the USA---; Speech redefining Iraq and Afghanistan policy---;---Refinings to be continued.....

Posted by: georgia | Jul 15, 2008 2:32:49 PM

I do not understand how some people can be taken in by this man. I do not believe he even knows what he thinks. Maybe it is true that somebody else tells him what to say at any given moment.

Posted by: S | Jul 15, 2008 2:59:18 PM

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