2008 Election Coverage

Obama Locks Up Position as Anti-War Candidate

May 15th, 2007

Barack Obama is barnstorming the nation this week, hoping to secure exclusivity as the anti-war candidate get republicans to vote to end the war. I think his sentiment is sincere, but I doubt his behavior would be the same if he wasn’t running for president. In an email to supporters this week, he directs them to a form on his site to email republican senators to get the votes override a veto. He says:

Barack has been traveling across the country asking people to speak out and let their Senators know that it’s time to end the Iraq war.

One Republican colleague has already called this “not Senatorial.” But this isn’t about Washington etiquette, it’s about bringing our troops home.

This isn’t a game. We need just 16 additional votes to override the president’s veto and bring to a close this sad chapter in American history.

It’s going to take some convincing, but Senators need to hear from people in their states that they can join us to bring a responsible end to the war.

That’s where you come in. In your state, an incumbent Senator who voted against ending the war will face a re-election battle in 2008. They will have to make clear very soon whether they will continue to block efforts to bring the troops home.

Will you speak out now and add your voice to the growing public pressure to end the war?

For those myopic souls wanting an immediate pullout, it seems that they’ve found their man. Edwards is talking almost exclusively about domestic issues (not really but as far as his press goes, he might as well be); Hillary is the conservative of the bunch (not surprising to anyone other than Fox News viewers) leaving the popular position for the main issue on voters’ minds for Obama to champion.

Entry Filed under: Obama, Barak Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, 2008, Republicans, Democrats, Iraq