| Just an update: We got Dodd on record against permanent bases the other day, and I'd mentioned there were documented quotes on the subject from everyone else except Obama (and noted that that probably had little to do with Obama, whose position against such neocon endeavors is pretty clear).
Liberal Oasis just emailed me and called my attention to this Daily Kos diary where the diarist states that Barack clearly said "no permanent bases" in the throng after the Keene event. It's not a recorded statement, or public in the way I'd like, but given that Obama also has a no peramanent bases clause in his de-escalation act (Sec. 4h), I think he's got the cred (again, h/t Liberal Oasis).
We can quibble over the wiggle room in what the candidates said, but the fact is the quotes from all are clear enough that they will have to defend any changes as reversals of stated policy.
Thanks much to Liberal Oasis for tracking this stuff. We were happy to put the last puzzle piece in. As he mentions, statements like these are fudgeable, but they provide a beachead in to the larger discussion of whether we will continue the neocon vision of using bases in Iraq to leverage other Middle East change.
In general, I've been really interested in the phenomenon of birddogging this campaign. For what other questions could we birddog in the gaps?
Surplus Kudos to Obama Update: Just received two more Obama quotes, which show Obama not only opposes bases, but has been a leader in the past in forcing this question: (full Obama quotes under the fold, please click There's More to get the rest...) |
