Obama Takes the Bait

Senator Obama may be on the verge of making the biggest mistake of this arduous and well-fought campaign. While he is poised to win the Democratic nomination, his current shift in strategy could prove to be gravely detrimental to his campaign and to the Democratic Party in general. By launching a vigorous counter-attack on recent public statements that were aimed directly at him by the GOP, Obama is playing right into McCain's hands. The Republican machine has very deliberately set a political mouse-trap for the Democratic Party and they're hoping Obama takes the bait. So far it looks like their plan may be working.

President Bush was given the honor of setting the initial snare for the Republican Party. The normally precarious move carried a low risk for the President who has very little, if anything, to lose politically. During a recent speech to Israel's parliament President Bush made a controversial statement that was the equivalent of a fresh piece of political bait being temptingly placed for Democrats to devour. In his speech President Bush said, "Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along." The statement was an obvious attack on Senator Obama's declaration that he is willing to participate in unconditional meetings with openly anti-Western adversaries like Syria and Iran. But his real intention wasn't to criticize Obama. It was to deepen the divide within The Democratic Party. It was to bait the trap.

By breaking an unwritten rule that U.S. dignitaries should check their political rhetoric at the door when making speeches to foreign diplomats overseas (especially regarding American politicians and American Policies), President Bush ignited a political firestorm that was intentionally set to undermine the Democratic election process. Left with no choice but to defend himself Senator Obama began a counter-attack against Bush, McCain, and the Republican Party. But that's exactly what Republicans had hoped for. They deliberately caused Obama to become distracted from the task at hand; winning the nomination against Hillary Clinton

By forcing Obama to begin fighting the General Election now, the Republicans have surreptitiously set Obama and the Democratic Party up for failure. Senator Obama has now set his sights on McCain and as a result he is all but ignoring his Democratic opponent. This is exactly what the Republicans want and more than likely exactly what they had planned. And the timing is no coincidence. With less than two weeks to go before the end of the Democratic primaries Republicans are giving Democratic voters a taste of what Obama will be up against in November.

Pay close attention to what happens between now and the days leading up to the final primaries on June 3rd. Over the next 2 weeks we are going to see Senator John McCain very ruthlessly going after Senator Obama. McCain will call into question Obama's untested foreign policies, his proposed economic plan, and his plan for a not-exactly-universal health care system. McCain will attack Obama's inexperience, his willingness to hold unconditional meetings with terrorist groups, and his lack of any significant legislation during his tenure as a U.S. senator. But once again the objective won't be to underscore the differences between McCain and Obama. The objective will be to hinder Democrat confidence in Obama's ability to win against Senator McCain in the General Election. This will serve to further divide the Democratic Party at a time when unity within the party is becoming absolutely crucial.

With any luck (and maybe a few experienced campaign advisors) Obama will recognize the Republicans' political slight-of-hand and begin turning his attention back to where it belongs...the fight for the Democratic nomination. Once he has secured the nomination he can focus entirely on John McCain. But for now Senator Obama would be better served to leave any questions about his electability for after he has secured the nomination.

With just days left until the end of the primaries, Republicans are going to do whatever they can to gain an edge in their efforts to keep The White House. Their plan will include the strategic positioning of political decoys in the form of antagonistic sound bites that are intended to force Obama to take his eye off the proverbial ball. To secure the Democratic nomination, unite the party, and remain a viable November contender Senator Obama will need to stay focused on who his opponent is right now and stay far away from any Republican cheese.