In a recent AP article by David Espo, President-elect Barack Obama skillfully deflected questions on several topics. When asked whether he had quit smoking, he responded that, “I have done a terrific job . . . of making myself healthier . . . I think you will not see any violations of those rules in the White House.” We’ll never be in the White House, so we won’t know. Nor did he address the status of his smoking habit while in other places. A simple yes or no would have been sufficient.
2. Asked about how quickly he would act to bring our troops home from Iraq, Obama said that he expected military commanders to devise a plan “for a responsible drawdown.” Presumably, we can ignore his prior, well-known Iraq election promises. What Obama will be implementing is none other than the Status of Forces agreement just negotiated between the Bush administration and the Iraqi government.
3. On foreign policy, Obama provided no direct response when asked whether India has a right to pursue targets in Pakistan, where water-borne terrorist attacks on the Indian port city of Mumbai originated. Recall that in one of his pre-election claims, Obama threatened to pursue bin Laden in Pakistan. He never hesitated then to question our own right to act militarily in that country.
The difference between campaigning and governing is very stark. But some of Obama’s responses to pre-election topics now seem to be cloudy.
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