The Daily Background
| Who does that Barack Obama think he is, anyways?
by Arlen Parsa
Who does that Barack Obama think he is, anyways? Introducing a hard-toothed binding resolution on the Senate floor today that would not only cap escalation but also mandate the withdrawal of combat forces by March 2008, something the majority of Americans and Iraqis support, and all… You can watch the video of him introducing the legislation on C-SPAN, below.
I guess this is Obama’s “I’m dead serious about Iraq” moment (not that he ever wasn’t, but this will get some extra press because he’s started his exploratory committee).
Besides, it’s pretty much obligatory at this point for Democratic 2008 hopefuls to introduce their own legislation to stop the escalation. Biden did it with Hagel, Dodd did it, and Clinton did it- each with varying levels of severity. Of the various resolutions (plus those not proposed by 2008 candidates, like Kennedy, Feingold, Warner etc), Obama’s seems to me to be the most forceful with a chance of passing, albeit not large at all, because unlike Dodd’s (also on the more forceful end), Obama’s is also tied to withdrawal within a year, which is very popular among the public.
Whoever wins with their resolution, probably the Biden-Hagel-Levin plan because it’s been “out there” the longest and seems to have the most support, wins this early little primary of sorts, and gets treated with more seriousness regarding the Iraq. This is not to say that there could be more than one “win,” or a win after another win. You can read Obama’s press release on his website.
Update: In an email sent out to his mailing list today, Senator Obama said ” is time to refocus America ’s efforts on the challenges we face at home,” and linked supporters to this Associated Press article.
