From "Shock and Awe" to a Whimper

Worth Clicking: Blasts from the past wound Romney

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August 31, 2010

From "Shock and Awe" to a Whimper

"For only the second time since he took office, President Obama will speak to the nation from the Oval Office on Tuesday night, in an address meant to convey that he has kept one of the central promises of his campaign: withdrawing American combat troops from Iraq," the New York Times reports.

First Read: "From 2003 to 2008, the Iraq war unquestionably drove American politics. It was a central issue in the 2004 presidential election; it helped Democrats recapture control of Congress in 2006; and it catapulted Barack Obama to win the Democratic presidential nomination. But as now-President Obama officially marks the end of combat operations in Iraq in an Oval Office address at 8:00 pm ET, it's striking how it has mostly disappeared as a political issue."

Furthermore, The Hotline notes "it's worth remembering that many Dems across the country view this as a distraction. Democrats argue that any day not focused on the economy is a wasted day in their efforts to retain House and Senate majorities. Count today as one of those days."

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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August 31, 2010