Barack Obama on the Iraq War

Barack Obama has given another speech, this time addressing the Iraq War.

This is why the judgment that matters most on Iraq – and on any decision to deploy military force – is the judgment made first. If you believe we are fighting the right war, then the problems we face are purely tactical in nature. That is what Senator McCain wants to discuss – tactics. What he and the Administration have failed to present is an overarching strategy: how the war in Iraq enhances our long-term security, or will in the future. That's why this Administration cannot answer the simple question posed by Senator John Warner in hearings last year: Are we safer because of this war? And that is why Senator McCain can argue – as he did last year – that we couldn't leave Iraq because violence was up, and then argue this year that we can't leave Iraq because violence is down.

When you have no overarching strategy, there is no clear definition of success. Success comes to be defined as the ability to maintain a flawed policy indefinitely. Here is the truth: fighting a war without end will not force the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own future. And fighting in a war without end will not make the American people safer.

This is true. It doesn't matter whether we are succeeding in Iraq or failing - the administration uses either as an excuse to stay in Iraq. McCain was not kidding when he said we could be in Iraq for 100 years. Yeah, I guess we probably thought that about Iran too.

This also stands out.

The central front in the war against terror is not Iraq, and it never was. What more could America's enemies ask for than an endless war where they recruit new followers and try out new tactics on a battlefield so far from their base of operations? That is why my presidency will shift our focus. Rather than fight a war that does not need to be fought, we need to start fighting the battles that need to be won on the central front of the war against al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Obama goes on to point out 5 strategies to address challenges of the 21st century. First, a comprehensive anti-terrorist strategy needs to be put in place. A strategy that protects civil liberties. Second, securing loose nuclear material around the world (what a no brainer). Third, cutting poverty in developing countries. Fourth, addressing global climate change and fifth, promoting a strong economy that includes free but fair trade and protects American workers.