O'Hanlon: Flapjack's Position on Iraq "Height of Absurdity," Hints ObamaMessiah Is Too Incompetent for Presidency

Michael, tell us how you really feel:

Michael E. O'Hanlon, a Democratic defense analyst at the Brookings Institution who has been an outspoken supporter of the war in Iraq, said he could not believe that Obama would put such a definitive timeline into print before a trip to Iraq, where he is to consult with Iraqi leaders and U.S. commanders.

"To say you're going to get out on a certain schedule -- regardless of what the Iraqis do, regardless of what our enemies do, regardless of what is happening on the ground -- is the height of absurdity," said O'Hanlon, who described himself as "livid." "I'm not going to go to the next level of invective and say he shouldn't be president. I'll leave that to someone else."

Actually, that is exactly what he is intoning, he just doesn't want to be blamed for suggesting it: Barack Obama shouldn't be president.

The presidency doesn't come with training wheels, which O'Hanlon, most conservatives, many moderates and independents, and an increasing number of Democrats (to their horror) are starting to realize as they weigh the candidate's possibility of success.

Obama lacks executive experience, leadership experience, has no record of bipartisanship or significant legislative accomplishments, and has padded his resume to a shameless degree. With zero governing and wafer-thin legislative experience, he is running his campaign entirely on personal charisma and vague promises.

But Obama's storied charisma is wearing thin, and his gimmicks—such as labeling every unfavorable eventuality or troubling flaw in his hoped-for ascendancy a "distraction"—are starting to be picked up on, and picked apart.

His speeches, like the one he gave today, incorporate not just the nuance and shading of truth we expect from politicians, but outright, direct and unambiguous falsehoods based upon how he wishes the world was, not how it is.

Obama claimed in his speech today:

Iraq's leaders have not made the political progress that was the purpose of the surge.

That is a direct lie. Iraqi has made significant progress in 15 of 18 fronts, according to the U.S. embassy. I'd note that this is far more progress than the U.S. Congress has made during a comparable time period. Obama isn't part of the solution for Iraq's government. He's part of the problem in America's.

They have not invested tens of billions of dollars in oil revenues to rebuild their country.

Really?

Try Solar powered infrastructure improvements, at that.

You'd think that a Democrat would like the fact that Iraq is "going green" as it reinvests in it's infrastructure. Instead, he, like his fellow elected Democrats, dally in Congress as they have for decades, philosophizing about energy sources that might be at some point in the distant future, while ignoring practical solutions to our current energy needs. We'd all love to live in world of cute fuzzy bunnies and unicorns where utterly clean energy sources existed, but that mythical source doesn't yet exist, and isn't powering the machines at the local neonatal intensive care unit, keeping our little miracles alive.

Most Americans understand that and deal with those practicalities. Congressional Democrats such as Barack Obama don't.

They have not resolved their differences or shaped a new political compact.

That too, is a lie, as the passing of amnesty laws and the releasing of hundreds prisoners (including Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein) was one of those key sticking points of a new government including Iraqi Sunnis that sat out the country's formation.

Nor did Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ever call for a timeline for withdrawal; his statements were misinterpreted, and were literally lost in translation. This a fact Obama doubtlessly knew before claiming Maliki said this in his speech, but it was convenient lie for Obama, and one he desperately wishes were true. He needs it to be true. He'll pretend it is true.

But it isn't.

Betraying a radical politicized worldview that is more cult theology than a practical governing philosophy, Barack Obama is beginning to scare his political enemies and most ardent supporters alike.