He committed to remove all US troops in one year!!!! I saw him say it several times.

So he would deal with Iraq according to conditions on the ground ?

- thats the right position by the way . ( lets leave aside the fact that he wasn't saying that during the primaries )

However how is that different from Mccain's position ?  or George Bush's for that matter.

Obama hasn't shifted on NAFTA or religious outreach.

1 for 3.

Shifted on FISA (actually, "shifted" is being generous---completely changed his position on FISA.  

But consistent on NAFTA and religious outreach programs.  

OMGG!!! Your so right.  Its almost as if he is deliberately softening his rhetoric to appease moderate swing voters he will need to win the election.  I don't want a candidate who cares about winning.  I want a candidate who appeals only to the base and is willing to loose in order to uphold principles!!  Obama doesn't realize that its PRINCIPLES that matter, even if you don't have any power to put those principles into action! OMG How can he be this stupid!! LOLZZZZZ!!!!!  !

He has advisers on his campaign that have military experience and connections. His advice up until now has more than likely come from their reports. There are also facts and statistics that he isn't privy to and won't be until he takes office.

Events have also changed over the months that have elapsed since the primary started. Iraq has improved and Afghanistan has gotten worse. I sure as hell hope he takes into account all facets of the situation. Don't you?

Yeah, he sure learned a lot on that trip...

He's always said that the commanders would have input into the redeployment process and that he'd make changes based on their recommendations.  He's emphasizing that more now, but its always been part of the plan.

I also don't think its appropriate to use the military to figure out how to sell stuff politically, so I completely disagree that he should have spoken to the commanders to get their help with that.  

McCain has not stood on principle when it comes to Iraq. I know you are in the habit of defending McCain, but this is just so wrong. McCain was against Iraq before he was for it. He was against Bush policies before he was for them. The only place he has been consistent is on having more troops in Iraq. McCain is a disaster waiting to happen when it comes to foreign affairs.

Yeah, because things are so freaking rosy in Iraq now.  Granted, most of those dead bodies are just brown furners, but that's still an awful lot of 'em.

The pendulum on Iraq has already swung toward McCain. Last poll I saw had the candidates split among those who consider Iraq their top issue.

Face it, the surge has not worked in the Democrats' favor politically.

turn the argument back to why we got into the Iraq war in the first place?  That may be what he is trying to do.

Iraq hasn't been the #1 issue among Americans for the last six months; that things are improving may actually help him because that healthcare issue may creep above Iraq as the #2 issue.

Troop Withdrawal from Iraq
NAFTA
FISA
Guns
Campaign Finance
Tax Increases (may have to be deferred)....
Faith Based Organizations

To those who say, "we have to focus on winning": at this point, what exactly are you trying to win????
(Other than advancing Barack's political career?)

then what is this doing on Obama's website?

Barack Obama's Plan
Judgment You Can Trust

As a candidate for the United States Senate in 2002, Obama put his political career on the line to oppose going to war in Iraq, and warned of "an occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs, and undetermined consequences." Obama has been a consistent, principled and vocal opponent of the war in Iraq.

   * In 2003 and 2004, he spoke out against the war on the campaign trail;
    * In 2005, he called for a phased withdrawal of our troops;
    * In 2006, he called for a timetable to remove our troops, a political solution within Iraq, and aggressive diplomacy with all of Iraq's neighbors;
    * In January 2007, he introduced legislation in the Senate to remove all of our combat troops from Iraq by March 2008.
    * In September 2007, he laid out a detailed plan for how he will end the war as president.

Bringing Our Troops Home

Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will make it clear that we will not build any permanent bases in Iraq. He will keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and diplomats; if al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq, he will keep troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda.

followup he now does say that he does not intend to deviate from the 16 month withdrawal timetable but his discussion will decide the residual troops in Iraq. I fear this is just another way of saying that he is wiling to keep up to 80000 troops in Iraq based on Colin Kahl's white paper for the New American Way.

what he says when comes back from Iraq; my guess is that he won't flip and is trying to insulate himself from the charge that what he is proposing is reckless.  I predict that he'll make an argument that "we are the ones who dicate conditions."  Then again, we all thought he was going to filibuster FISA.  Maybe I'm wrong and he'll try to turn the argument back to why we entered the war in the first place.

I think that Obama has to check out what's on the ground and devise a plan that works to get our troops out safely.

If he just removes them willy nilly and Iraq BLOWS up than that would be a catastrophe.

Obama will do what ever he can to end the war.

""I think what's happened is the McCain campaign primed the pump with the press to suggest that somehow we had changed our policy when we hadn't, and that just hasn't been the case. I've given no indication of a change in policy."

"I intend to end this war... That position has not changed. I have not equivocated on that position. I am not searching for maneuvering room with respect to that position."" - Obama

McCain is a hell of a lot more popular than Bush. That pretty much explains it.

and 6% popular vote win in a Presidential election is an Electoral College landslide.

I know!  The nerve of people who don't agree with you or support the most experienced Senator running for President...well, aside from Biden.  And Dodd.  After them.  :)