Obama short on details, but that'll have to change
As poll after poll has shown, the war in Iraq is the No. 1 public issue, particularly as more Americans die on the killing fields of Mesopotamia. The Pew Research Center reported last month that "Iraq continued to attract the most public interest of any story," and 64 percent of Democrats and the same percentage of Independents don't believe the Iraqi government will be in any shape to take over security of the country by the fall.
Sen. Barack Obama has been using his position on the war -- he opposed it before he joined the U.S. Senate -- to attract crowds across Iowa and in New Hampshire, two states with early presidential contests. As Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York found out -- when she was skewered in New Hampshire for not apologizing for her pro-war vote -- residents of these states are keenly concerned about Iraq.
Sen. Barack Obama has been using his position on the war -- he opposed it before he joined the U.S. Senate -- to attract crowds across Iowa and in New Hampshire, two states with early presidential contests. As Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York found out -- when she was skewered in New Hampshire for not apologizing for her pro-war vote -- residents of these states are keenly concerned about Iraq.
Last summer, as the killing of Americans ramped up in Iraq, the post-traumatic stress disorder that Mick suffers began to worsen. One day as Bonnie searched for him through their house, she found him crying in the backyard.
As he waits for Obama to speak, Mick explains: "When I was overseas, I was involved in some nasty things and it manifests itself through nightmares, intrusive thoughts, anxiety and depression." Recently he spent two months at a program in Wisconsin to help him deal with his trauma.
Mick's war experiences have made him an early Obama supporter. (Obama has a plan to withdraw troops by March 31 of next year.) Obama "is against the war in Iraq but in favor of supporting our troops, and that's the way I am," Mick says, as Obama nears the stage.
But an hour later, after the Illinois senator finishes talking, the Burrs are left with questions. "He covered a lot of bases, but he didn't get real specific," says Mick.
Bonnie reflects about what else she would have liked to have heard from Obama. "If we do get the troops out, what is going to happen [in Iraq]?"
Mick responds: "We've got to face that we have a civil war and a holy war there and we're not going to be able to do anything about it."
"But we've got to do something," Bonnie replies. "It is a breeding ground for terrorists."
"But they don't want us there," Mick says. "They hate us."
Mick pauses. "That was the only thing that bothered me. He wasn't specific enough about our troop withdrawal."
That criticism -- about vague proposals -- has been leveled at Obama by others, even though it's early going in his campaign. But as the catastrophe there continues, the senator will be forced to come up with more defined ideas, not just about troop withdrawal, but about what will happen after the bulk of American soldiers leave. The dominance of the Shia majority there will mean the growing influence of Iran. And that's another headache altogether.
