The Occasional Observer

One of the major criticisms leveled by Obama during his campaign was that Bush had "no clear goals" in Iraq. It is essential, he said, to have clear, quantifiable goals.

Now, I am a HUGE believer in the Powell doctrine. If you are going to enter a conflict, do so with overwhelming force and make sure you have a clearly defined goal. So I would certainly agree the portion of Obama's statement where he says it is critical to have a clear set of goals.

To that end, here are the goals for Afghanistan he rolled out today: "So I want the American people to understand that we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaida in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future," the president said.

"That is the goal that must be achieved," Obama added. "That is a cause that could not be more just. And to the terrorists who oppose us, my message is the same: we will defeat you."

Hmmmmmm.. "...disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaida..." This sounds familiar, where have I heard it before? Oh, that's right, it's the EXACT SAME set of goals put forth by Bush in Iraq that were roundly mocked and rejected by Democrats. From Bush's 2005 "National Strategy for Victory in Iraq": The Security Track involves carrying out a campaign to defeat the terrorists and neutralize the insurgency...Clear areas of enemy control by remaining on the offensive, killing and capturing enemy fighters and denying them safe-haven; Hold areas freed from enemy influence by ensuring that they remain under the control of the Iraqi government with an adequate Iraqi security force presence;...advance the rule of law, and nurture civil society.

The hypocrisy of Obama, who mocked this very language, to now advance it as his own "policy of change" is absurd.