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Ah, the Spring and Summer of 2007, when the war in Iraq was lost, Generals like Petraeus were scolded as incompetent and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was committed to forcing vote after vote to end the war . Truly the halcyon days for the Democrats and anti-war left. But so much has changed since then.
The roll call votes and rhetoric of scarcely 12 months ago are now a campaign issue--an issue many, like Senator Obama, would like to avoid.
Back in 2007, supporting the surge was seen as a major risk. The Democrats wanted to impose defeat through legislation or force Republicans to on the record as a wedge issue. The record would then be used in the upcoming elections.
But history did not cooperate with Reid and the Democrats. Petraeus proved the most competent of Generals. The war in Iraq is now the exact opposite of 'lost.' And the wedge is now being used against Obama and Democrats.
In June of 2007, the Politico reported on a letter Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent to President Bush:
"As many had foreseen, the (Iraq) escalation has failed to produce the intended results," Reid and Pelosi said in a letter sent to Bush prior to their meeting. "That is why we intend to again send you legislation that would limit the U.S. mission in Iraq, begin the phased redeployment of U.S. forces and bring the war to a responsible end."
Now, 14 months later, Senator Obama wants to avoid talking of those votes and the strategy of his party's leadership to impose a legislative end to the war.
Obama claims bringing up his past votes and positions is smearing his patriotism.
Obviously the votes and strategy of the Democrats in 2007 has backfired horribly--as I predicted it would in February of 2007 .
In 2007 Obama did not object to the Reid plan to "force a series of votes on Iraq designed exclusively to make Republicans up for reelection in 2008 go on record in favor of continuing an unpopular war."
Now that Obama's voting record is on the opposite side of history, he is hiding from it using the last refuge of a scoundrel.
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