Right On The Right

It's late-night blogging for me tonight, and yesterday's story about McCain slamming Obama for refusing to visit Iraq again has really snowballed. Jim Geraghty of The Campaign Spot really got things going with his post, which poses a very key question that Obama has to answer, and McCain already has for himself:

I suppose one can argue about the value of seeing the situation on the ground with one's own eyes, but wouldn't the architect of a withdrawal want to see some of the circumstances himself? Even if Obama didn't want to travel with McCain, is it really wise to suggest that a tour of post-surge Iraq is unnecessary? Wouldn't scheduling a visit defuse criticism like this from Vets for Freedom PAC?

And isn't Obama vulnerable to the argument that a man who's pledged to meet unconditionally, one-on-one, face-to-face with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad really ought to meet at least once one-on-one with Gen. David Petraeus?

As you can see from the picture, and as you know from his rhetoric, the Republican Nominee picks the American General over the Islamofascist terrorist. I'd hope the same about the Democrat in the race. How long has it been since Obama saw the situation on the ground himself? According to the GOP, who is keeping track, it's been about 872 days since Barack has last visited Iraq. McCain visited on a foreign policy tour not too long ago. Still, the spinmeisters at the Obama camp have already scoped out the political battlefield and Barry is reconsidering his "No more trips to Iraq" policy. You'd be surprised how often concrete answers get turned around when faced with political realities.