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May 28, 2008

Let Obama's weaseling begin -- the media will cover him

Thomas Lifson
Barack Obama seems to have realized that he dug himself a hole when he promised meetings with no preconditions with Ahmedinejad and other tyrants in the first year of his presidency, during a CNN debate last summer. He now is qualifying his blanket statement.
Reuters reports:   

LAS VEGAS - Barack Obama is distancing himself from expectations he would meet Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and taking a more cautious stand on talking to other U.S. adversaries.

With criticism from Republicans turning harsher as Obama moves closer to winning the Democratic nomination battle against rival Hillary Clinton, the Illinois senator has shifted -- but not abandoned -- his position.

That's artful. He has changed his position, but it really isn't that big a change, so he hasn't really "abandoned" it. For people who don't pay close attention, maybe that is persuasive. Unfortunately, that describes most voters. Once again the MSM is going to bat for Obama.

Reuters lets an "expert" explain this:

"There's definitely been an adjustment in what was initially a pretty categorical position," said Ross Baker, a political scientist a Rutgers University. "As (Obama) has gone around the country campaigning, he has realized he's had to fine-tune his position."

"Fine tune" is another artful phrase.

Some people are not fooled. But the only ones Reuters can think of are Obama's opponents. "Experts" are apparently unavailable to make this point:

The McCain campaign accuses Obama of backtracking and says that shows he lacks judgment on foreign policy matters.

Professor Baker comes to the rescue (again):

Baker of Rutgers University said Obama's shift makes sense politically. A meeting with Ahmadinejad would be unacceptable to Jewish voters whom Obama wants to court. Promising unconditionally talks with Raul Castro might be unpalatable to Cuban-American voters, he said.

"There are mid-course corrections in every campaign," Baker said. "It's better for him to make that course correction now than later in the campaign."

"Mid-course corrections" would be another artful phrase very helpful to Obama.

Words such as "weaseling" or "wavering" or even straightforward "changing" apparently do not apply to the media's favorite candidate.

Hat tip: Anthony Howe

Update: Scott Johnson does a great job demonstrating how Obama's claims that the Kennedy-Khruschev summit was a good thing are either mistaken or (my theory) a cynical ploy to confuse historically ignorant voters.

Posted at 11:45 AM | Email | | | Share Share