I mentioned the other day that I was concerned that Barack Obama might fall into the same trap as GW Bush by being unwilling or unable to reassess and modify his stance on Iraq as the situation changed.

As I noted then, the Center for a New American Security, which has become Obama’s foreign-policy think tank, released a report last month that argued against a timetable for withdrawal and in favor of “conditional engagement,” declaring, “Under this strategy, the United States would not withdraw its forces based on a firm unilateral schedule. Rather, the time horizon for redeployment would be negotiated with the Iraqi government".

As I "predicted" and hoped, it now appears that Barack Obama is indeed considering a change in his stance on US involvement in Iraq. There are those on the Right who will criticize Barack for moving away from his hardline position of February 2007 regarding Iraq, such as Alex Conant, a spokesman for the national Republican Party. But personally, I applaud his willingness to reassess his position based upon the changing conditions in Iraq. In this, he shows a flexability which Bush lacked prior to 2006.

Ron