I wonder what the Las Vegas odds-makers are saying about the probability of President Obama, in his speech tonight,
1) giving credit to G.W. for turning Iraq around with the Surge
2) admitting that he, BHO, was wrong about the Surge
3) both of the above
If I was Obama’s political advisor I would encourage him to say something along the lines of:
“Three and a half years ago, many critics of the Iraq War, myself included, were not convinced that General Petraeus’ Surge Strategy could reverse Iraq’s slide into civil war; but it is a testament to the greatness of America’s Armed Forces, and to the vision of David Patraeus, that the implementation of his strategy did change the course of the Iraq War, so that today we are able to bring American Combat Troops home, and turn over the future of Iraq’s security to the Iraqi’s. It is also to his credit, that my predecessor, President Bush, adopted General Patraeus’ Plan, at a time when the future of our efforts in Iraq looked very dark. Tonight, the future of Iraq looks very different than it did in those chaotic days, which is why I am changing the focus of America’s mission in the region…”
The question is, does Obama have what it takes to say that? I would guess not, but I hope he surprises me.
