Jack Reed Gives Obama Cover on Iraq

The Wall Street Journal

CAPITAL JOURNAL
By GERALD F. SEIB


Jack Reed Gives Obama Cover on Iraq
July 22, 2008; Page A2

If you were to construct the ideal Democrat to engage Republicans in debate over Iraq, he might look something like this: He would be a military veteran with real experience, maybe even a West Point man. He would have opposed the war against Iraq originally, and maybe even have cast a vote against the war to prove it. But since then, he would have devoted himself to making the exercise a success, becoming an expert on U.S. policy and what is happening on the ground.

Hey, wait. There is just such a Democrat out there. He is Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island. And he was at Sen. Barack Obama's side Monday touring around Baghdad. All of which raises an intriguing question: Is there a chance he also could be at Sen. Obama's side as vice-presidential running mate? The question isn't out of bounds because Sen. Reed, even more than Sen. Obama, has helped shape the mainstream Democratic position on Iraq. And unlike Sen. Obama, he has done so with a background of personal experience, and with the benefit of a hefty investment of time on the ground in Iraq. Indeed, this week's trip is Sen. Obama's second to Iraq; it is Sen. Reed's 12th.

(snip)

He has been mostly a reliable liberal on domestic issues and a low-profile player on defense issues. Slight of build and unpretentious in manner, he has never been a high-profile player. But he began to stand out on Iraq when he was one of 21 Democrats to vote against a resolution authorizing use of force in 2002. Once the war began, though, he adjusted, pushing for more funding for the conflict, and specifically money to ease the strains on his old service, the Army.

(snip)

Instead, his efforts in the Senate have focused on pushing repeatedly, in an amendment he sponsors with Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, to change the mission for U.S. troops from combat and security to counterterrorism and training. That amendment has been offered in various forms, and in one version called for making this change in mission within nine months, but has focused more on the mission and a phased withdrawal than on a timetable.

(snip)

The tantalizing question is whether any of this might translate into a vice-presidential bid. It doesn't seem highly likely. In electoral-college terms, Sen. Reed would deliver exactly nothing. His home state of Rhode Island is already reliably Democratic, having gone that way in every presidential election since 1984. And Sen. Reed isn't well-known around the nation. But he does offer genuine national-security credentials and a similar view on Iraq, one rooted in personal and professional expertise. And for a candidate with Sen. Obama's profile, short as it is on personal experience on national security, those wouldn't be bad things to have around.


URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121667637713571477.html (subscription)

This is the first for me.

with it. But he is just so much shorter.

who has always been my number one choice..

...not to mention a whole lot whiter. :evilgrin:

One that would speak volumes about Obama. Reed isn't flashy or particularly charismatic, and he's short and doesn't really look "presidential." But he's got a world of experience as an Army Ranger, a congressman, and a senator, and is (reputedly) smart and capable. I doubt he would help Obama get elected, but I definitely think he would help Obama govern.

I don't expect Obama to pick him, but my estimation of Obama -- which is already pretty darn high -- would go up if he did.

They succeed by being team players- in large teams - companies and brigades.....

They have less of that "Elite" persona as a result, and understand sacrifice for the good of the group.

The other special forces - the Seals and the Green Berets are much more elit(est) -

Not to denigrade them - but they ARE all "A" personality types. Alpha dogs.

Which is why I like Reed...

WSJ misled on "maverick" McCain's popularity among Hispanics, independents
http://mediamatters.org/items/200804080007

and the guy has a slant and an agenda.

He's no democrat.

I thought that it was a very favorable description of Jack Reed who, apparently, has just recently arrived on the radar of DU.

It gave kudos to Reed. I'm just extremely weary of the Wall Street Journal these days
after Murdock took over.

It still has an agenda.

Reed is a great guy and has a great voting record
I apologize.

Reed's voting record:
http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/jack_reed.htm

Yes, the editorial board of the WSJ is as rabid as it comes.. and now they added Karl Rove..

But I have never heard of Jack Reed and would not have known anything about him without this column. And, it appears, that Reed is gaining a well deserved recognition on DU.