AP: 'Is Obama Close to Being Shadowed By Giant Flip-flops?'

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On Friday, NewsBusters asked, "Will Anti-war Media Turn On Obama If He Flip-flops On Iraq?"

A few hours later, we got our first response from Jennifer Loven of the Associated Press.

In a piece entitled "Analysis: Obama's Shifts to Center Give GOP Ammo," although Loven did her best to blame the presumptive Democrat presidential nominee's flip-flop problems on "the Republican weapon of choice," she made it very clear that a change in position on Iraq -- whether real or imagined -- could be fatal for the junior senator from Illinois (emphasis added throughout):

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Is Barack Obama close to being shadowed by giant flip-flops and, worse, having the image stick with people all the way to the voting booth? [...]

The Illinois senator has excited many with the notion that he is a new, transcendent type of politician. But he is giving the GOP effort ammunition and endangering his "Change We Can Believe In" motto with several shifts to the center, most recently on the Iraq war, his campaign's defining issue.

After listing recent Obama flip-flops -- from handguns, to terrorist surveillance -- Loven got to the heart of the junior senator's problem:

For Obama, there is no more important issue than Iraq.

Unequivocal opposition to the war drove his entrance into the race. It helped him defeat Hillary Rodham Clinton for the nomination. It made him a darling of the anti-war activists who are now prominent and influential in the Democratic Party.

Those forces won't like Thursday's statement-bordering-on-a-promise that "I'll ... continue to refine my policy" on Iraq, particularly after he visits and makes what he said would be a "thorough assessment." [...]

His problem is that his change in emphasis to flexibility from a hard-nosed end-the-war stance — including his recent position that withdrawing combat troops could take as long as 16 months — will now be heard loud and clear by an anti-war camp that may have ignored it before. So he could face a double-whammy in their feelings of betrayal and other voters' belief in the Republican charge that he is craven. [...]

Obama said his overall problem is that he was incorrectly tagged to begin with as being a product solely of his party's left wing, so that statements displaying a broad ideological range are portrayed as shifts when they are not...But his problem may in fact be that he's not handling the shifts quietly enough — and maybe not forgivably either.

Of course, much like the New York Times' front page story "Obama Fuels Pullout Debate With Remarks," Loven's analysis was published on a national holiday at the beginning of a three day weekend.

However, when the Times and the AP are offering similar opinions on the same day, it could certainly be the beginning of a trend that bears watching in the weeks to come.

—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.


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Because of Obama's awkward

Because of Obama's awkward lurch to the center, the people who don't normally vote, but who were initially all riled up by Obama's extremism will melt away by the time of the election.

I expect the phone polls to be off by at least 3-5% right up to election day.  If BO isn't up by 6% in the polls in a given state, he's in trouble.

 

 

Obama's Centrist Flip Flop - No Impact

Obama supporters - both public and media - don't care.

They know their man, and their man is a devout Leftist.

All MSM critiques of Obama are temporary and hollow. 

His words may change from day to day, but the MSM know his political mindset is carved in stone.

Also, in 2006 and 2008, the Conservative Blogs have not been competitive against the resilence, skill, determination, and raw power of the leftside MSM.

Obama has been able to shrug off every challenge from Conservatives because the MSM has his back.  

Until Conservatives find a way to deliver our message each day on national television, on a scale that compares with the leftside MSM, we are going to be second class political citizens. 

". . .Shadowed by Giant Hedgehog"

Dinsdale!

No traction on this. The Obama cultists will ignore it as the media continues to soft peddle it.

 

Soft pedal it, nothing.

Soft pedal it, nothing. They make excuses for him.

You have an example right here: "the Republican weapon of choice."

Not that Obama is a flip-flopper; it's that the Republicans paint him as one, (because he keeps changing his mind; go figure!) Just like they paint his wife as bitter, or his pastor as unpatriotic.

 

Shoot 'em all; let God sort 'em out! - Marge Simpson

Speaking of his pastor, notice how he has disappeared?

Back when Big Liberal Media was gushing over how masterfully Obama was handling the Wright matter he was in the news almost every day.  Then he became an embarrassment to the Cult Figure and... vanished without a trace from the news. 

Change

Someone coached Hussein O to tell the democrat left wing anti-americans what they wanted to hear to get the nomination. Now they are coaching him to influence the entire American population and telling him the democrats have invested too much in 'his lies' to back out when they find out the truth. It would embarrass them too much in front of their friends. Now he must start telling the middle the lies they want to hear to secure their votes.  In 67 years I've never heard so many lies and flip flops come out of one politicians mouth. Someone said he was a born liar, I agree with them.

Old, Retired and glad of it.

Obama and his mama are in

Obama and his mama are in mighty big trouble down the dark and dusty road with the looney left.

I love it...

I am so disappointed with who we have for candidates, but watching him destroy himself, plus the msm along with him is getting to be, and going to be more than delicious on the way to Nov. 4th. at least this is going to be worth it just to sit back and watch.

Nothing like self-destruction right before your eyes.

"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh

Liberals always move to the

Leftists always move to the center to have any shot at winning the presidency.  America is a Leftist nation.

A Leftist moving toward the center......aka.....moving to the right of his TRUE views, is Obama.  Someone moving this way or that is just going with the wind.  Obama is hard Left.  Moving is just political, not true of his real views.  I'm not sure why people don't realize that.  Bill Clinton did it.

As for his alienating those who have been swooning over Obama, remember we're talking about a Leftist.  A Leftist has to flip and flop much more often and on larger issues and more defined, because until it gets too obvious to avoid, the MSM will not say much.  But let a conservative (or someone the MSM sees as such) pronounce a word differently in two different sentences and it's front page news and panels are scheduled to analyze.

One thing is for

One thing is for sure...

Obama is about to be shadowed by a giant scandal.

Goodbye, Mr. Bond:

http://web.israelins...

http://noquarterusa....

Fairlight... Wow...thanks

Fairlight...

Wow...thanks for both of these insightful links...

You and I both know nothing will be done about this though..

In my opinion anyway...

"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh

Hi Bt, Thought the same

Hi Bt,

Thought the same thing. CBS will probably be on this as soon as Obama's inauguration commences.

The Uniter...turns both sides of the Aisle against him ? ?

He can't hide his MSM Video past......he's a Documented War hater, invested in "Pull out Now" speaches.

The MSM pushed their Agenda, they got their Man......and he's looking for a way out.  He's a loser.

 

The Republican Revolution will not be Televised

none of this matters...

because at the end of the day in November, Dims will vote Dims, no matter what.  They will hold their noses and vote for the Obamessiah, just as many of us conservatives will hold our noses and vote for Juan McAmnesty.  Bottom line.

I agree. Every time they

I agree. Every time they report a poll that says Obama leading in one group or another, I think "So what?"

Is anyone surprised that he gets 99% of the black vote, or a big majority of women?

He's ahead in all the groups that traditionally vote Democrat anyway.

In the end, it will shake out as it always has...40% diehard Democrats, 40% diehard Republicans with the candidates fighting it out for the 20% left over.

 

Shoot 'em all; let God sort 'em out! - Marge Simpson

But, 99% of the black vote

But, 99% of the black vote isn't racist -- according to the MSM would would NEVER  bring that obvious point up.

___________________________________ 

If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber

According to mainstream

According to mainstream liberal/progressive ideology, blacks cannot be racists becaue they are both the victims of racism and disenfranchised.

Remember this the next time you see footage of blacks referring to whites as 'whitey', 'cracker', 'pancake ass', 'honkey', or similar.  This is not racism.  This is not hatred.  This is just a misunderstanding caused by racist whites, conservatives and Christians. If you feel badly about this you should vote for your local liberal candidates.

several shifts to the

several shifts to the center, most recently on the Iraq war, his campaign's defining issue.

Loven is conceding something important, though she probably doesn't realize it.

That Obama changing from "getting all troops out of Iraq starting immediately," and no matter what, and uneqivocal oppostion to the war in Iraq, to keeping troops in Iraq based on the reality on the ground is the... CENTER.

Interesting. Up until now, the MSM would have you believe that Obama's far left position was the "center."

It's nice to have some honesty in MSM analysis, for once.

Vote 4 change. Vote 4 anything. See Jack & Mr Shy's first campaign ad for the ONLY viable 3rd party candidate.

The guy is simply a con

The guy is simply a con artist who counts on the myriad ways that people will overlook his faults (the same ones that numerous politicians in this race have), and that's all there is to it. No surprise here. The first second I saw this, I thought, "He's trying to get votes without looking like an idiot. Con artist."

 

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"It could be the answer to our age-old, philosophical question, 'Why are we here?' PLASTIC!"