Edward 4The One Thing Bush and Obama Have In Common: Flip-Flopping
July 19th 2008 15:17
All three can be accused of "flip-flopping"
As Bush's presidency comes to a close and a McCain or Obama presidency hovers on the horizon, it seems the three are coming together on somewhat of a consensus. All three of them are moving more towards the center when it comes to Middle East foreign policy, and all three of them are catching flak from their respective bases for it.
When Obama started his campaign he couldn't say enough that he was for troop withdrawal from Iraq. That plan soon took a more realistic shape in the form of a sixteen month refocusing of U.S. troops into Afghanistan. Now he is not even committing himself to the sixteen month timeline anymore, saying that it may take longer.
The Republicans and the Bush administration have had a field day tearing Obama down on this point. McCain and Bush both said it was in poor judgment and short sighted to remove troops from Iraq. An even larger point of contention was Obama's insistence that talks with our enemies (namely Iran) would be a good idea. Republicans insisted that negotiations with someone like Iran would only make America seem weak.
The interesting point is how all three parties involved seem to be moving toward the center on these subjects. As I pointed out Obama is less and less enthusiastic about removing our troops quickly from Iraq. McCain has started to acknowledge the need of a refocusing of U.S. forces to Afghanistan. And the Bush administration (finally) has swallowed its pride and begun quiet talks with Tehran. Iran's basketball team is even visiting America to practice before the Olympics. Ironically, they'll be staying in perhaps the most Christian state in the union, Utah.
I think it’s laughable how the democrats and republicans are both pointing across the aisle and screaming "flip-flopper!" I mean, can't a guy change his mind anymore? A flip-flop is basically a change of mind when there's no apparent reason (or a poor or trivial reason) for changing one's mind. However, can't a candidate change his or her mind on an issue if new information comes to light, if world events shift and the situation becomes completely different? To do otherwise would be stupid and scary, and I think we've had enough of both for the past eight years.
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