Senator Barack Obama opposed the surge in Iraq and he said that it would not work and, in fact, have the opposite effect. It is correct that, Obama did not believe that additional warriors would be successful. He had to believe this because his entire claim to having Commander in Chief credentials involves his opposition to the war and the surge that has been so effective.
Barack Obama would not admit that he was wrong and failed to call the surge successful. He said that he has always said (and let him be clear) that there is no doubt that our troops would be successful but that Iraq had not met the benchmarks set forth for the country by our Congress in order to guarantee failure. Iraq has met nearly all the goals and has a higher success rate in passing through the measures than the do nothing Congress of the last year.
Obama was interviewed by Bill O’Reilly on Fox News and he said that the surge was more successful than ANYONE could imagine:
The troop surge in Iraq has been more successful than anyone could have imagined, Barack Obama conceded Thursday in his first-ever interview on FOX News’ “The O’Reilly Factor.”
~snip~
“I think that the surge has succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated,” Obama said while refusing to retract his initial opposition to the surge. “I’ve already said it’s succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.” Fox
No Barry, the surge has been more successful than you hoped but not more successful than ANYONE could have imagined. Those, like John McCain who pushed for it, anticipated that it would be successful from the start. People with actual military experience (and not the ones on your payroll) knew that it would be successful. You voted against it Barry because you did not think it would work. In fact, you banked on it not working so that it would further your career. The “anyones” out there who know something about the military already knew.
It was not a success beyond our wildest dreams because we knew more than you. We put country ahead of party and politics and supported the men and women who fight for this nation. We anticipated success while you prayed for defeat.
So no Senator, not everyone was surprised, just those with little faith in our military and those invested in defeat.
You sir, are both.
