Fred Barnes: Smart People Should Never Be Elected as President

AB readers likely know I have not jumped on the Obama bandwagon just yet, but Fred Barnes is working overtime to get me there:

BARNES: Yeah, I doubt that she’ll pick him. You know, I’ve thought for a long time that Obama’s not in quite as strong a position on the war in Iraq as he really thinks he is. Remember, when he famously came out against the war, it was back in a time when the entire world believed that Saddam Hussein in Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, that he would probably be willing to use them himself at some time or pass them along to terrorists who would use them. And yet, Barack Obama was against going to the war at that point. I don’t think that shows that he is very strong on national security, which he needs to be. But that argument’s not going to be used against him in the Democratic primaries. It would, however, by Republicans in a general election.

Yes – Fred was trying to trash Senator Obama here but read his insightful 2002 speech as I turn the microphone over to Steve Benen:

In 2002, Barnes was wrong about Iraq; Obama was right. That Obama didn’t follow the mistaken judgment of the DC establishment, Barnes said, necessarily means that Obama isn’t strong on national security. What’s more, Barnes believes this insightful criticism of Obama’s accurate judgment would be “used against him… by Republicans in a general election,” should he win the Democratic nomination. Oh, things one learns from Fox News….

Fred sums up the modern GOP nicely. Vote for us as we are incredibly stupid!