From Lynn Sweet's Chicago Sun-Times column:
Following his Springfield launch on Saturday, Obama wrapped up a three-day swing in the key primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire, ending at a University of New Hampshire rally where he assailed the "trivialization of politics" where "it is all about who makes a gaffe."
In this case, that would be Obama, the Illinois Democrat.
During his first press conference as a presidential candidate at Iowa State University, Obama, discussing his opposition to the Iraq war, said the war "should have never been authorized, and should have never been waged, and on which we've now spent $400 billion, and have seen over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans wasted.''
Actually, Obama made at least one other gaffe--made on the same day in Iowa. When responding to criticism about his March, 2008 proposed pull-out date for US troops in Iraq from Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Obama responded:
We have close to 140,000 troops on the ground now, and my understanding is Mr. Howard has deployed 1,400, so if he is (ready) to fight the good fight in Iraq, I would suggest that he calls up another 20,000 Australians and sends them to Iraq. Otherwise it’s just a bunch of empty rhetoric.
Yes, Howard may have crossed the line by firing the first salvo, but Obama shouldn't have fired back in such a manner.
Also on that same day in the Hawkeye State, Obama, perhaps in fit of false-modesty, claimed that lack-of-name-recognition is a problem for his campaign.
Does he seriously believe that? Yes, the full quote mentions that his campaign apparatus is not as established as a couple of his competitors, but name-recognition is not a problem for Obama.
Numerous political experts have mentioned that Obama's biggest hurdle in achieving a successful conclusion to his presidential campaign is his lack of experience in a grueling campaign. In 2004, Blair Hull, once the frontrunner in the Democratic primary that Obama eventually won, saw his campaign implode after nasty revelations from his divorce file were released. Embarrasing information made public from his first Republican opponent's divorce file, Jack Ryan, sank that man's campaign.
Then a Maryland resident, Alan Keyes became Obama's opponent. Keyes was a walking gaffe-fest, and Obama completed his cakewalk run to become an Illinois senator.
This campaign, as Obama has already discovered, is going to be much tougher for him.
Technorati tags: Illinois Obama Barack Obama politics 2008 elections Democrats iowa Iraq military Australia
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