Obama on both sides of missile defense

Jim Geraghty:

Time magazine, today:

McCain's camp tried to argue on Wednesday that Obama is soft on missile defense, but, in fact, he supports it.

Really?

Once again, this is an issue in which Obama's view tends to change depending on which audience in front of him. It is easy to find this October 2007 video to a liberal group, where Obama says, "Second, I will cut tens of billions of dollars in wasteful spending. I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems. I will not weaponize space. I will slow our development of future combat systems." This is the video where Obama pledges to "seek a global ban on the production of fissile material," which would effectively ban nuclear power around the world.

But on Obama's web site, touting his support for a strong national defense, it says, "He has called for continuing U.S. cooperation with Israel in the development of missile defense systems." On the related fact sheet, he cites the Arrow, which is already deployed.

...

This seems to be another case where "Let me be clear" Obama is clearly unclear. His leftist supporters think he is with them in opposing missile defense and his supporters at Time Magazine think he favors it. I tend to think his leftist supporters are closer to his core belief. At best he is a skeptic whose instinct is to not support it with funding anyway.