kennetha's Journal - A Responsible End to the War in Iraq = ?

Here is very brief excerpt of John McCain's lead up to a ferocious attack on Obama today.

Though victory in Iraq is finally in sight, a great deal still depends on the decisions and good judgment of the next president. The hard-won gains of our troops hang in the balance. The lasting advantage of a peaceful and democratic ally in the heart of the Middle East could still be squandered by hasty withdrawal and arbitrary timelines. And this is one of many problems in the shifting positions of my opponent, Senator Obama.

And here is just a bit from Obama's response:

The difference in this race is that John McCain is intent on spending $10 billion a month on an open-ended war, while Barack Obama thinks we should bring this war to a responsible end and invest in our pressing needs here at home."

I think Obama has a problem. He needs to either directly refute McCain's claim that "victory in Iraq is finally in sight" as some sort of fantasy or say why his approach is a better guarantor of victory. The phrase "a responsible end to the war in Iraq." which Obama (and CLinton when she was running) intones frequently is monumentally unclear in its intentions.

Does a responsible end = VIctory, defeat, or something between? If something in between, what exactly?

If Victory, how is Obama's recipe a better recipe for victory than McCain's? If a responsible end = some version of non-victory, how is that different from defeat and why is it acceptable.

I think Obama and the democrats generally counted on Iraq still being an utter mess come November since when the campaign began it was still looking like Iraq was nothing but an interminable Civil War that we could have no helpful role in. That was my view too. But it doesn't quite look that way now and I think McCain is being very, very effective in hammering the theme that Obama isn't tough enough and isn't prepared enough to be Commander in Chief.

Obama has to decide and be firm in that decision and explain clearly what can or can't be achieved in Iraq, how we will achieve it, and why he is the best person to achieve it. "end the war responsibly" just won't do against McCain's constant and somewhat credible claim that some sort of "victory" is in sight.

Or so it seems to me.