With all the hullabaloo today about Barack Obama's position on Iraq (and whether he'll promise to withdraw from Iraq in 16 months, or set that as a goal, etc.) it would seem that McCain campaign has again successively deflected attention from the fact that McCain's goal is to station American troops in Iraq permanently. His policy is not one of refusing to set arbitrary timelines or keeping in touch with commanders on the ground or members of the Iraqi government. Those are all obfuscations -- a continuation of the one used by President Bush for five years. The choice is still stark -- leave Iraq or stay in Iraq, and the very different foreign policy visions which inevitably grow from each decision. Any reporting that fails to confront this point is ... a failure, and a cave to McCain who knows his position is deeply unpopular.