President Obama Doesn’t Understand – McCain was Right

That first of three debates in 2008 between Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain was mostly memorable for the Arizona Republican continually saying, “Sen. Obamadoesn’t understand…”

Obama vs. McCain (ipdigital.usembassy.gov)

At the time, the media narrative was of the mean and grumpy McCain standing against the hopeful and energetic Obama, past vs. future, etc…

This week, President Obama shows he doesn’t understand by spending about 30 seconds talking about a plane crash that killed almost 300 people – then making Joe Biden jokes, then racing off to raise money for Democrats in New York. (The press conference the next day wasn’t much better.)

This is after he couldn’t visit the border in Texas because he needed to make it to other fundraisers.

Retreating to fundraisers every time a crisis breaks out in the world is the natural refuge for a campaigner-in-chief that never liked being commander-in-chief. It allows him to be surrounded by the only people who still absolutely adore him, wealthy Democrats comfortable enough not to worry about a failed presidency at home and abroad. With plummeting approval ratings and even lower ratings for competency, Obama isn’t even getting adoration from the media anymore.

He’s not giving us that much confidence in how he will deal with ISIS. But we do know his hasty pullout in 2011 for the sake of a 2012 campaign theme of “ending the war in Iraq” is a paramount reason for the rise of the Sunni rebel group.

In 2008, McCain said, "Sen. Obama still ... doesn't quite understand -- or doesn't get it -- that if we fail in Iraq, it encourages Al Qaeda. They would establish a base in Iraq,” or, “I'm afraid Sen. Obama doesn't understand the difference between a tactic and a strategy.”

That’s not necessarily to say McCain would have gotten everything right. His claim this week that he wouldn’t have taken the country to war with Iraq had he been elected president in 2000 is a little dubious. While the characterization of McCain as a war monger is unfair, it seems quite likely the U.S. might have involved itself in more needless conflicts such as Syria or even with Iran had the 2008 election gone differently.

But, McCain was right about President Obama, who doesn’t seem to understand the nature of extremism in the Middle East or the ambitions of Vladimir Putin. So McCain’s redundant theme from the 2008 debate comes to mind this week as he has no doubt been vindicated.