Obama Willing To Meet Dictators, Not Vets Or Commanders

On Friday, Vets for Freedom released a new web ad, “Senator Obama: Talk to Commanders or Meet with Dictators?” The ad features Iraq war veteran Sergeant Garrett Anderson. Sergeant Anderson points out that Senator Obama was unwilling to meet with Illinois veterans, has never met with General Petraeus, and hasn’t visited Iraq in over two years.

Today, Vets for Freedom released a second ad, featuring Iraq war veteran, Specialist Kate Norley. Specialist Norley, who served 16 months on the front lines as a combat medic, asks Senator Obama two simple, but important, questions:

1. Senator Obama, when will you finally decide to go back to Iraq, to see the progress first hand?
2. When will you finally decide to meet one-on-one, unconditionally, with General Petraeus?

Since Obama last visited Iraq in January 2006 much has changed:

Violence down 70%.

Al Qaeda in Iraq has been decimated.

Political progress is occurring.

The Iraqi Army is taking on rogue militias throughout the country.

The fact is—the surge has worked, and has moved America closer to overall success in Iraq.

So why does Obama continue to insist he would meet with Ahmadinejad, but not Petraeus?

Why is Obama willing to meet with other American enemies such as Castro but not veterans?

Why is Obama unwilling to visit Iraq to see the progress?

Perhaps it is because, like his story about his uncle liberating Auschwitz and Treblinka, the facts can't support his position.

Jim Geraghty, also wonders whether it is wise for Obama to continue to refuse to see the progress in Iraq:

I suppose one can argue about the value of seeing the situation on the ground with one's own eyes, but wouldn't the architect of a withdrawal want to see some of the circumstances himself? Even if Obama didn't want to travel with McCain, is it really wise to suggest that a tour of post-surge Iraq is unnecessary? Wouldn't scheduling a visit defuse criticism like this from Vets for Freedom PAC?

And isn't Obama vulnerable to the argument that a man who's pledged to meet unconditionally, one-on-one, face-to-face with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad really ought to meet at least once one-on-one with Gen. David Petraeus?

So do I.