The folks on
Fox News Sunday had a hard time arguing for Bush McCain this morning on this point.
Philly: To an amazing extent, Bush foreign policy seems to be turning toward the positions of Barack Obama.
On Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and other issues, the administration was shifting gears just as the Illinois senator left embarked on his overseas voyage. Some of these changes were forced on the White House by events. Some reflect late recognition that policies were not working.
These shifts may well boost Obama when he argues that his approach to foreign policy is best. Such arguments will only work, however, if he refrains from hubris. His foreign-policy speeches reveal a man still on a learning curve.
Let's hope he listens and learns on his whirlwind trip.
Recent policy shifts at the White House have been quite stunning. On Friday, after talks between President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the White House announced that the United States and Iraq will seek a "general time horizon" for deeper troop reductions. This was a Maliki demand that the White House had not anticipated or sought.
Bush officials insisted this was not an "arbitrary date for withdrawal," like the 16-month deadline Obama has promised for a U.S. troop exit. Yet Maliki has changed the tone of the U.S. political debate during the campaign season. It is now harder for Bush or John McCain to denounce Obama for talking of timelines.
Moreover, just in time for Obama's arrival, Maliki dropped a bombshell. In an interview with Der Spiegel that appeared yesterday, he said a U.S. withdrawal should come "as soon as possible." He then said Obama's timeline of "about 16 months" would "be the right time frame for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."
The folks on Fox News Sunday had a hard time arguing for Bush McCain this morning on this point. 
