Obama marks fifth anniversary of war vote

Barack Obama today unveiled a graphic new online ad to mark the fifth anniversary of the Congressional vote authorizing President Bush to invade Iraq. The ad shows images of bombed out Iraqi cities, Iraqi children wearing plaintive expressions, and American troops trying to contain the chaos. The spot highlights a speech Obama gave in Chicago five years ago this month, in which he laid out his opposition to the invasion. "One leader resisted the march to war," the narrator says.

Obama today also penned an op-ed in The Manchester Union-Leader warning that Congress -- including, notably, rival Hillary Clinton -- has given Bush the pretense to invade Iran by approving a recent Senate amendment. "When you give this president a blank check, you can't be surprised when he cashes it," Obama writes. "I strongly differ with Sen. Hillary Clinton, who was the only Democratic presidential candidate to support this reckless amendment."

Obama didn't vote on the amendment, but says he strongly opposes it. He has used Clinton's vote to open a new front against the Democratic front-runner, arguing that she continues to display the poor judgment she showed in voting for the Iraq war in 2002. Obama's rivals say his record on Iran is murkier than he makes it seem, and polls continue to show that voters believe Clinton is the candidate with experience to be president.