Michelle Malkin, in reax to “The Speech”

Barack Obama, 2002:

What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.

What I am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income, to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market that has just gone through the worst month since the Great Depression.

That’s what I’m opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics.

Barack Obama, 2010:

In a radio interview with CBS News, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Obama will emphasize that “We are putting the Iraqis in control of their history and their future. They’ll have responsibility for security and responsibility for providing for the citizens of that country. That is a milestone worth barking.”

Just hours before the president speaks from the Oval Office, Gibbs said the speech would emphasize “the milestone of the end of our combat mission,” and said Mr. Obama will say, “The story of the Iraqis will be written by the Iraqis.”

…While Iraq has seen political turmoil for months, Gibbs insists the caretaker government is stable. He predicts “in very short order” the Iraqis will have a government in place. The spokesman said the president will tell Iraqis, “with our help as allies, you will be able to chart your future and your course as you determine.”

Gibbs also had a terse response to Republicans challenging the president to give credit to the troop surge ordered by former President George. W. Bush — a move opposed by then-Senator Obama.

Gibbs acknowledged that “the surge improved security conditions in Iraq.” But, he added, “I think the only question that matters for them (Republicans) today — we can look back in history, but the question that matters today is, where are you on bringing more than 90,000 troops out of Iraq right now? Do you support the president’s timeline for ending our combat operation in Iraq? That’s the question I’d like to hear answered by those Republicans.”

President Obama will also call George W. Bush today for what Gibbs describes as an “appropriate time” to thank him for his “love of country as we end the combat mission.”

Michelle Malkin

No word on whether Obama will apologize for his past political hackery and cynical attacks on those in the Bush administration who supported the troop surge that made his speech tonight possible.

You know better than to expect that, don’t you Michelle?

It seems yesterday that I suggested a Bill Clinton trait was to oppose something until the thing gets beyond your control to oppose, then get out in front of it like it was all your idea. Looks like this is a trait Obama shares.

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