Klein v. Klein

While splashing about in the tank for Obama Joe Klein penned this on July 23:

The reality is that neither Barack Obama nor Nouri al-Maliki nor most anybody else believes that the Iraq war can be "lost" at this point.

Who knew that Obama's view of Iraq was so bouyant?  Not readers of TIME, who were told this by Joe Klein waaaay back on July 20:

For McCain, the first priority remains a stable Iraqi nation-state, and he is willing to risk ever more American blood and treasure over the coming years in that quest. For Obama, the first priority is an exit from the country, and he is willing to risk civil chaos in Iraq and a loss of American influence in the region.

So over the last three days, Obama has gone from being willing to accept an Iraqi civil war to believing that the war cannot be "lost".  Three days abroad make all the difference!

But I remain puzzled - would Barack consider a civil war a "loss"?  Would Maliki?  Or is Klein just blowing smoke?

Comments

[Danube of Thought]

Didn't you get the memo? There is no war in Iraq.

[clarice]

That's some wayyyy back machine--three whole days, huh?

[hit and run]

Klein is in a one-man civil war with himself.

And losing.

[JM Hanes]

More like this one please!

[GMax]

Blowing smoke? Man I see a chain smoker skilled in the art of smoke rings. In the same week? No wonder he likes Obama, they both change on a hat drop!

[Lesley]

Klein v Klein

Too bad Sydney Pollack just died. He could have one Klein as a messy, dopey, (I think I need a Yiddish word here) and the other as a short-tempered, dismissive Lesbianish type arguing with eachother over Iraq.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

I think I need a Yiddish word here

meshuggah.

[sbw]

Lee, pardon me for leaping ahead without reading all you wrote (I'll go back shortly), and for skipping to the new thread, but you said something about your new economics view that cries out for a sturdier foundation.

The best book of the decade, mentioned here before, is P. J. O'Rourke's "On the Wealth of Nations" which, independent of what you may think of the author, gives Adam Smith what he is due in every economics class and never gets. Smith explains what hasn't worked in history and why. He doesn't put forward a theory of what you should do, just what you should avoid because it hurts more than it helps.

Read it and you'll see all new economic lefties really are trying something old and threadbare -- they just don't know enough history to be able to see it.

[GnuCarSmell]

"So over the last three days, Obama has gone from being willing to accept an Iraqi civil war to believing that the war cannot be "lost". Three days abroad make all the difference!"

That's a new one. It deserves honorable mention with Obama's other flip-flops, like his two-day shift from "Iran is not a serious threat" to "Iran is a grave threat."

Obama's flip-flops are escalating to a point they may induce whiplash. This guy needs a warning label.

[PaulL]

The Charlie Gibson interview with Obama was pretty good, based on the transcript. I particularly like this comment:

Gibson: But just because you put the word tough in front of the word diplomacy doesn't necessarily mean that you get anywhere.

[Topsecretk9]

I swear there is a virtual candy store of choice "opinions' waiting to be found in the lefty blog archives...Matt Yglesias, Josh Marshall etc. etc.

[Topsecretk9]

I swear there is a virtual candy store of choice "opinions' waiting to be found in the lefty blog archives...Matt Yglesias, Josh Marshall etc. etc.

[Jane]

Paul,

Got a link?

[Barney Frank]

would Barack consider a civil war a "loss"?

Barack would consider sitting in the bleachers on Jan 20, 2009 a loss.
Civil wars are mere details.

[reliapundit]

OBAMA CAN'T GO 48 HOURS WITHOUT PULLING A BONER, AND THE MSM CAN'T GO 24 WITHOUT SUCKING IT.

PLEASE EXCUSE THE MIXED METAPHORS.

[tina]

I posted this on one of the other threads; don't know if ya'll saw it:

Check out Drudge:

OBAMA VISITS WESTERN WALL IN OLD CITY JERUSALEM... ARRIVES AT 5:08 AM LOCAL TIME [10:08 PM ET]... SUNRISE... SHOUTING MAN: 'JERUSALEM IS NOT FOR SALE, OBAMA'... MOB SCENE... CHAOS... POSES FOR PHOTOS AT WALL... LOTS OF SHOUTING... LEAVES 5:20
AM... DEVELOPING...

Picture on Drudge with Obama campaign banners at the wall.

[fouse, gary c]

Joe Klein? You mean the Joe Klein who wrote the book, Primary Colors by "Anonymous", then denied he was the author before he admitted he was the author? That Joe Klein?

Why should anyone pay attention to anything this boob says.

Gary Fouse
fousesquawk

[PaulL]

Jane,

The Gibson interview transcript is in the far left column over at Real Clear Politics.

[Jane]

Thanks!

[Jane]

All I can say after reading that interview is that Obama is the weasel we always knew he was.

LUN

[MayBee]

I haven't read the interview, but I love the quote PaulL just highlighted. Obama started throwing the word "tough" in front of diplomacy when he got caught promising to meet with no preconditions. It's hilarious to me, and I'm soooo happy Gibson caught it.

[hit and run]

Shorter Gibson: "Just words"

[clarice]

Thanks, Jane, but I cannot bear to even read his carp anymore. It's like trying to have a conversation with a psychopathic liar..It gives one a headache trying to keep awake.

[BobS]

Looks like Charlie Gibson nailed him. The lefties will push on NBC now to have Williams resuscitate him tomorrow.

[Danube of Thought]

It's like when Dukakis kept saying he was willing to "make the tough choices." Finally a reporter asked him to name a tough choice he was willing to make, and the man was speechless.

But it also reminds me of John Kerry saying in utter frustration that "I can't believe I'm losing to this idiot!" I can't believe McCain is losing to this transparently fraudulent tyro, but the current poll snapshots suggest that he is. So far.

Just keep in mind that in the ten elections from 1968 through 2004, the press was universally behind the Democrat in every one, but they still lost seven of them. (If you think that perhaps they were at best lukewarm for Carter in 1980, your memory is different from mine.) And does the press have more influence now, or less? Check out the joyful financial news about the New York Times today.

[BobS]

DOT: The arrogance of the eletist left is consistant in its, well, arrogance. The left treats opposing views as ignorant.

[bgates]

Hit, you said you didn't have the heart for Edwards jokes.

Byron York is there for you:
"A few months ago, Edwards, the Democratic party's 2004 vice-presidential candidate, seemed to pull himself out....But then, a couple of weeks ago, Edwards quietly put himself back in, telling National Public Radio, "I'm prepared to seriously consider anything, anything...asks me to do"
Wow.

[BobS]

Stevie Nicks is on Soundstage tonight on my PBS channel. She still looks terrific although she cannot quite hold a note as she did in the 70's and 80's. She opened her set with a great rendition of Stand Back.

[BobS]

She was better on "Sarah", especially on the song's dramatic ending. She added it reluctantly to the set as she considers it a Fleetwood Mac song.

[GMax]

Beliners pretty hacked off about having to pay large sum for the Obama rally. Looks like the City of Berlin will end up paying half the cost of the rally.

Isnt there a ban of foreign governments making a contributions to a campaign, whether its cash or in kind donations? Why isnt this an issue?

[clarice]

He apparently was not a hit at the Wailing Wall..

[Danube of Thought]

Stevie Nicks used to cause certain things to happen to me that don't happen as much now. Guess I must be smarter these days.

Or maybe...

[hit and run]

AP's version:

JERUSALEM (AP) — Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama paid a predawn visit to the holiest place in Judaism on Thursday, bowing his head in prayer at the Western Wall.

Obama placed a small note inside a crevice in the ancient wall, a custom observed by many. He made his brief stop as he completed a trip to the Middle East in which he met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders as well as Jordan's King Abdullah II.

Orthodox men at the wall for morning prayers ran down the steps to get a look at Obama. Many reached out to shake his hand, although one booming voice called out, "Obama, Jerusalem is not for sale!"

Obama's visit lasted less than 15 minutes. He was flying to Europe immediately afterward for stops in Germany, France and England before returning home over the weekend.

[RichatUF]

GMax-

I was thinking the exact same thing. Its nice to know that the German's have no problem interfering with our political campaigns and wonder how they would like it if we were to return the favor. Seems as if Bertelsmann AG is getting the return on their investment they have been waiting for.

Also a rally of a million Germans in front of a charismatic speaker might strike a discordant tone with voters of a certain age and sensibility.

[hit and run]

Clarice:
He apparently was not a hit at the Wailing Wall..

Harrumph!

Like he could ever be me.

[BobS]

DOT: I know exactly how you feel. Nicks is 60, yet with the wonders of all things she looks like Stevie of her FMac days...alluring, mysterious, unobtainable. But an icon tonight all the same

[GMax]

I actually think Germans resist charismatic campaigns at home due to a certain historical inconvenient truth.

[JM Hanes]

DoT:

I was thinking almost the same thing when Obama said, "Those who know my track record have absolutely no doubt about my unwavering support for Israel and its security." It seemed to me the obvious follow-up was, "What track record?" Other than that, Gibson's remark about "tough diplomacy" was the high point in a real snoozer of a tete a tete.

What's most bizarre is that when you read what Obama says, he's not, in fact, very articulate. Aside from stringing unfinished thoughts together, he's all about using using words that make him sound more professional, even when they don't really make sense. "And I think all you can hope for in this kind of situation is real progress. And that's something that I think I can execute."

Much as Obama styles himself as JFK, he's Carter all over again. I was spending a lot of time in Georgia back in those days, and nobody could believe that the national press never noticed what a truly lousy governor he was.

[BobS]

Fleetwood Mac - sans Christine McVie- will make an album in 2009 plus do a tour

[GMax]

Remember when all the Brits decided to call downstate Ohio for Kerry? How did that work out again. This could well be an acme cigar that blows up in his face. We shall see, but I cant imagine wild german crowds will impress those not already easily impressed.

[MayBee]

I haven't read the interview, but I love the quote PaulL just highlighted. Obama started throwing the word "tough" in front of diplomacy when he got caught promising to meet with no preconditions. It's hilarious to me, and I'm soooo happy Gibson caught it.

[MayBee]

I haven't read the interview, but I love the quote PaulL just highlighted. Obama started throwing the word "tough" in front of diplomacy when he got caught promising to meet with no preconditions. It's hilarious to me, and I'm soooo happy Gibson caught it.

[BobS]

JMH: Carter went to Annapolis and JFK served herroically in WWII and had both pedegrie and experience in government. Obama is an empty creation of vision and breadth that surpases that of the Grifter Clintons. Even they had been hardened by public service and some significant acheivements.

[Ann]

Rumor has it that McCain is traveling to Columbus, Ohio tomorrow since he had to cancel his trip to an off-shore oil rig in Louisiana.

If the big surprise is an announcement of his V.P. pick, it would be either former Rep. Rob Portman (R-OH) or former Rep. John Kasich (R-OH).

This would be a hugh mistake. Kasich of O'Reilly fame is nuts and no one knows who Portman is except for the people in Portsmouth. Good Grief!

[ben]

If you haven't seen this, pretty clever production....they should buy time and air it on national TV, but the networks would reject it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfogMFL7UJo

[BobS]

Ann: I really think he's lining up surrogates. It will be Romney or Tom Ridge.

[BobS]

If McCain is going to second tier he needs to take the Alaskan gov

[bad]

Obama on Obama while talking with Gibson:

Well I, look, I approach this with great humility.

How many times has the dude assured us of his humility?

LUN

[Jim Rhoads aka vnjagvet]

Or Michael Steele.

[Ann]

BobS,

Since the big Obama Berlin speech is tomorrow ( http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/07/sprechen-sie-de.html ">have you seen his not campaigning in Berlin fliers ), I think McCain will try and get some attention. This would be just the worst kind.*

*I live in Columbus,Ohio.

[357 Magnum]

Joe Klein is a liberal, suck-up wordsmith
just dying for a lefty black "icon" to
run the show. This will emancipate him and
his ilk from that nagging white guilt that
shadows them all. Matthews summed it up
well with the "tingle up my leg" during
a Big O psychobabble event early on in
the campaign. The fact that Obama is a
dunce is, for him or them, trumped by his
"blackness". And they can't understand
why any Americans refuse to genuflect upon
the MSM cue.

[bad]

Obama on Palestinians:

And on the Palestinian side, I think the bitterness......

religious gun crazies in america = palestinians

Obama needs to expand his vocabulary.

[Barry Dauphin]

Or is Klein just blowing smoke?

I thought that Nurse Bloomberg made blowing smoke illegal in New York (or was Klein in Washington at the time).

[Americaneocon]

Great post!!

[pat]

He was a whore for Clinton, now a whore for Obama. He is also something of a dummy.

[SAM]

Ann at 12:17, you wrote, in part:

"This would be a hugh mistake. Kasich of O'Reilly fame is nuts and no one knows who Portman is except for the people in Portsmouth. Good Grief!"

Maybe you meant Portsmouth in a symbolic sense of just any town in Ohio. But I'm from Cincinnati, which is Portman's home town. He was our representative for a number of consecutive terms. He's highly regarded. You are correct that he's not well known, but look out for him in the next decade. Younger Republicans may eclipse him, but he will be a prominent figure as we look forward.

[Neo]

Klein just blowing smoke .. up his own ass.

[Danube of Thought]

I'd like someone to ask Obama who is the toughest negotiator he's ever faced.

[kim]

Methinks Klein protesteth overly much.
======================

[sophy]

Please do not hesitate to have wakfu kamas . It is funny.