McCain suffers a double blow

Dear Barack Obama,

The last 24 hours must have given you a nice warm fuzzy feeling, having got the better of John McCain on two occasions.  In my opinion, the military and international relations are two areas where McCain must be desperate to score points over you due to his experience in this area, but it is you who has been backed by the Iraqi government with regard to your plans for the withdrawal of US troops.

The suggestion that all US combat troops will leave Iraq by the end of 2010 is a bold statement of intent.  Interestingly, there was no official statement from the Iraqi government about the clear similarity in your plans and their plans for troop withdrawals because you still have to wait until November to be able to dictate events rather than pass judgement on them.  McCain was quick to strike back, saying that he would only withdraw troops when the situation allowed - emphasising how precarious your position is when confirming a withdrawal by 2010.  Even so, it looks like you scored a points victory over him in this round.  You have probably noticed that the Labour Party in the UK is desperate to avoid talking about Iraq as their poll ratings are already abysmal, making it even more refreshing to hear such a candid discussion of the topic.

Then, somewhat unexpectedly, the New York Times embarrassed McCain by rejecting an article he penned for the famous newspaper and told him to rewrite it.  It seems as though this story follows many other indications in the media about your ability to push McCain out of the headlines.  In terms of media personality, you clearly have a significant advantage over him as his style is less refined and less amiable.  Even though question marks still remain about many policy issues, there is no doubt who is winning the media battle.

The momentum is certainly with you, and if McCain is unable to build on his enormous military credentials then you could be moving into an even stronger position.  We are still over three months away from election day.  However, your support base and your electoral appeal certainly seems to be doing the business.

Yours sincerely,

A.Tory