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Obama’s in a tough position here. How can he show support for the troops in Iraq who believe in their mission and at the same time, stay on course with his own anti-war message?

According to a report released by CBS News, Obama plans to withdraw most US combat troops from Iraq by 2010 (i.e. within the first 16 months of him taking the oath of office) initially. Later, however, he changed course, saying that this would depend on conditions on the ground, and rival John McCain surely must have been paying attention.

According to Richard Haass, “What he has to do is pull off two difficult tricks. One is to be sympathetic to the troops there. At the same time, he’s been critical of the policy. And secondly, he has to show some consistency with his policy. At the same time, he has to adapt to change. Pulling that off is the political challenge in the immediate time frame that he faces”. In other words, on this trip, Obama must now attempt what seems to be impossible. While he is visiting troops, he must show support as some of the soldiers support the war, but stay on course with his own message.

Initially, Obama said that he would withdraw all US combat troops within 16 months of taking the oath of office, but later he changed course by saying that he would “refine” his policies after talking to commanders on the ground. Obama is playing a dangerous game here. He is flip-flopping which is precisely what destroyed John Kerry in 2004. If Obama isn’t careful, he may fall into the same trap.