Who Would Be the Best U.S. Commander in Chief?

Obama: Rapidly “refocusing” on Afghanistan

In a long speech program entitled, “A new strategy for a new world,” Democratic candidate Barack Obama promised in Washington, DC, to finish the war in Iraq “responsibly.”

The war in Iraq “weighs on our security, our standing in the world, our military, our economy, and the resources that we need to confront the challenges of the 21st century,” said the Illinois senator, who is very critical of the “blindness” of the current administration.

“As President Bush and Senator John McCain should have realized, the central front in the war on terrorism is not Iraq, and it never was,” continued Obama, who on Monday, July 14, published an editorial in the New York Times to explain his “plan for Iraq.” The Democratic candidate intends to pull out all combat troops in the first 16 months of his presidency if he is elected.

Meanwhile, he hopes to put the emphasis on the fight against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. “The Al-Qaeda base is extending into Pakistan, probably not far from its old Afghan sanctuary,” added Obama, underlining that “if there is a new attack against our homeland, it will probably come from the same region where the September 11 attacks were planned. And yet today we have five times more troops in Iraq than in Afghanistan.”

The Democratic candidate has set a total of five objectives for himself: “End the war in Iraq responsibly, conclude the fight against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, secure nuclear arms and materials from (by getting them out of the reach of) terrorists and rogue states, achieve true energy security, rebuild our alliances to be up to the challenges of the 21st century.”

McCain: Winning the war in Iraq and, only then, in Afghanistan

His Republican rival, John McCain, is not satisfied with the situation in Afghanistan either. McCain proposes sending “at least” three additional brigades to Afghanistan, or about 15,000 soldiers, and doubling the Afghan army to bring it to 160,000 men. He also calls for unity in command of the forces deployed in Afghanistan.

“Security has deteriorated in Afghanistan and our enemies are on the offensive,” acknowledged Mr. McCain, before adding: “If I am elected president, I will turn around the war in Afghanistan just as we have turned around the war in Iraq.”

On this subject, however, the opinions of the two men profoundly diverge. In Albuquerque (New Mexico) on Tuesday, McCain promised to win the war, not only in Afghanistan, but also in Iraq. “Senator Obama tells us that we can’t win in Afghanistan without losing in Iraq. In fact it’s exactly the opposite,” believes the Senator from Arizona (Southwest).

“With the right strategy and the right number of soldiers, we can win in Iraq and Afghanistan at the same time,” he said. “The success of the surge in troops in Iraq shows us the way to win in Afghanistan,” McCain continued.

Who would make the best commander in chief?

Obama still must convince the public that he would make a better commander in chief than John McCain. Concerned about strengthening his credibility on the international scene, the Democratic candidate is preparing for a tour of Europe and the Middle East next week and, on a date unspecified due to security reasons, to Iraq and Afghanistan.

McCain, who has already done his world “tour” to the Middle East and Europe, has not failed to highlight that Obama “is speaking today of his plan for Iraq and Afghanistan before even leaving to go, before speaking with General (David) Petraeus, before seeing the progress achieved in Iraq, and before setting foot in Afghanistan for the first time.”

During this time, the current commander in chief, George W. Bush, made it known that he rejects any “artificial” calendar for withdrawing American soldiers from Iraq. This was said, while remained vague about the conditions for maintaining troops after his presidency.

The Americans are very divided on the matter…

On this subject, American voters are still quite divided. According to a poll done by the Washington Post and ABC News, nearly 50% of people interviewed support the 16-month withdrawal plan of Obama, while 49% opt for a withdrawal without a fixed date, which would take place when certain conditions are met on the ground. This is the position that McCain and President Bush support.

The same poll says that 72% of Americans see John McCain as a good commander in chief, while only 48% see Barack Obama playing this role in a satisfactory way.