The clip that each of the networks is playing tonight is the one where Obama poses a hypothetical to Ambassador Crocker. The media has portrayed it as a brilliant strategic question. I disagree. What you don't hear in the news clips is the beginning of the question.
Obama asks the Ambassador if we could maintain the current status with either a complete withdrawal or drawdown to 30,00o, would that be acceptable. The Democrats I figure, were hoping he would answer with a hypothetical, yes. The Ambassador responds by saying that it would be impossible to maintain the current status with that kind of drawdown.
Then an interesting exchange takes place when Biden interrupts and says, "Ambassador that's not the question", immediately parroted by Obama (as he often does, re: debates) "That's not the question". Clearly, Crocker was answering the question it just wasn't the answer the Democrats were looking for.
I've included the entire exchange below. My guess is others noticed too.
As I said I think the Democrats, through Obama, had hoped Crocker would answer the hypothetical question with a hypothetical, it's just Crocker wouldn't take the bait. He never wavered. Victory he explained was when the Iraqis could defend themselves and we were not there yet. Crocker 1 Democrats 0
