Obama's Judgment in Question on the Surge

Various members of the media are now openly questioning Barack Obama's judgment as he continues to oppose the troop surge strategy in the face of the universally recognized success of that strategy.

Media respond to Obama saying that he would still oppose the troop surge in Iraq:

Politico’s Jonathan Martin: “To have said anything other than ‘no,’ would've brought further howls of "flip-flop" and no small amount of grief from his base. But the CW on the Surge has gotten to a point where "no" is tough to explain.”

FOX’s Major Garrett: “Obama, who told CBS on Sunday, that he ‘never’ has doubts about his foreign policy, is in no way re-evaluating the surge or what he did or did not anticipate would arise from it. This may give fodder to John McCain’s camp and other skeptics of Obama’s approach to military tactics, strategic thinking and the ability to adapt his own views to unexpected events.”

ABC’s Sneak Peak: “Barack Obama told ABC News' Terry Moran today in Baghdad that he still opposes the troop surge in Iraq and said that he was ‘absolutely convinced’ at the time last year that the political debate on the issue had to change.”

Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder: “Sen. Barack Obama said it was ‘fair’ to notice that he did not anticipate that the surge of U.S. troops into Iraq would be coincident with the so-called Sunni Awakening and the decisions of Shia militias to reduce their footprints, the combination of which led to measurable declines in violence.”

Washington Post’s Dan Balz: “Obama's opposition to the troop ‘surge’ that has helped quell violence and U.S. casualties -- and that McCain vociferously supported -- leaves plenty of room for further questions about his judgment at that moment.”