Since last week, Democratic Party presidential candidate Barack Obama has received considerable coverage in the corporate media for an apparent "reversal" on his Iraq policy.

An article published on July 4 by the Telegraph titled "Barack Obama Wobbles on Withdrawing Iraq Troops" was typical of this coverage. In it, reporter Tim Shipman explains that Obama's recent comments that his Iraq policy will be "refined" based on what he sees on the ground during an upcoming visit to Iraq, is a reversal of his commitment to "remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months." The article then quotes an advisor to Republican presidential candidate John McCain who accuses Obama of reversing his position. The article concludes by quoting Obama in response saying, "I've given no indication of a change in policy. I intend to end this war. That position has not changed. I have not equivocated on that position. I am not searching for maneuvering room with respect to that position."

However, lost in the predictable media back-and-forth is the reality that Obama's position on Iraq has not changed. To be sure, the media gives Obama space to say that his position has not changed, but they continue to ignore the nuances of Obama's position. While he claims that he will "end this war," his Iraq policy--as described on his website and articulated in numerous speeches--would leave an undetermined number of soldiers in Iraq for an undetermined amount of time. Obama speaks only of removing "combat troops" while planning to leave an unknown number of soldiers in Iraq to engage al-Qaeda. Moreover, Obama has surrounded himself with hawkish advisors who have been involved in the destruction of Iraq since the first Gulf War. However, the media has ignored this, as has much of the progressive left in the United States. For example, Media Matters, a liberal media watchdog, defended Obama from the McCain campaign's charges while failing to challenge Obama on his claim that he will "end the war."

However, while some on the left have criticized Obama for his position, there has been relatively little talk about how to pressure Obama on Iraq. Tom Hayden, the former president of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) has offered some ideas, as has author Naomi Klein. The task for the antiwar movement is not simply to embrace or criticize Barack Obama, but how to build a movement powerful enough that he has no choice but to end the war.