Obama willing to meet with Ahmadinejad but not Gen. Petraeus

Jim Geraghty:

Obama spokesman Bill Burton, responding to John McCain's suggestion that both he and Obama take a trip to Iraq in the near future:

"John McCain's proposal is nothing more than a political stunt, and we don't need any more 'Mission Accomplished' banners or walks through Baghdad markets to know that Iraq's leaders have not made the political progress that was the stated purpose of the surge. The American people don't want any more false promises of progress, they deserve a real debate about a war that has overstretched our military, and cost us thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars without making us safer."

You know what is intriguingly missing from that answer? Any indication that Obama will return to Iraq before Election Day.

Obama has been to Iraq once, in 2006. It was a two-day tour of the country.

I suppose one can argue about the value of seeing the situation on the ground with one's own eyes, but wouldn't the architect of a withdrawal want to see some of the circumstances himself? Even if Obama didn't want to travel with McCain, is it really wise to suggest that a tour of post-surge Iraq is unnecessary? Wouldn't scheduling a visit defuse criticism like this from Vets for Freedom PAC?

...

It is somewhat ironic that Geraghty's post is right next to an ad for Andrew McCarthy's new book Willful Blindness. Why is Obama afraid to meet with people who have a different point of view? Does he not believe that Gen. Petraeus has a legitimate point of view? The guy who is willing to say that Hamas and Hezballah have "legitimate grievances" does not think our military has a legitimate point of view about the situation in Iraq and he wants to be commander in chief?

David Limbaugh also has thoughts on McCain's trip suggestion.

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