Rove: McCain Got His Facts Wrong On The Iraq Surge, ‘But Don’t Make A Big Deal Of It’ (updated)

[ProSense]

Rove: McCain Got His Facts Wrong On The Iraq Surge, ‘But Don’t Make A Big Deal Of It’

Last night on Fox, Hannity & Colmes co-host Alan Colmes noted that CBS News chose not to air a portion of its interview with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in which McCain falsely claimed that President Bush’s “surge” policy in Iraq “began the Anbar Awakening.”

But former Bush aide turned Fox pundit Karl Rove would have none of it. Discussing the issue with Colmes, Rove tried to shift the subject to something he’s more comfortable with — attacking Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) — and pleaded, “Let’s not get into this”:

ROVE: Well, Alan, first of all, let’s not get into sort of nit-nat mistakes.After all, Barack Obama said we need more Arabic translators in Afghanistan. They don’t speak Arabic in Afghanistan. <…>

COLMES: What about his time line being wrong on the Anbar awakening?

ROVE: Look, let’s not get into this.

After more pressing from Colmes, Rove finally agreed, “I’d be happy to respond if you like. Would you like me to respond?” Rove finally told Colmes, “you’re right” and admitted that McCain “had his timing wrong.” But again, Rove insisted: “But don’t make a big deal of it.” Watch it:

It seems even master spin-meister Karl Rove can’t explain away McCain’s blatant misunderstanding of history.

Astounding callousness/idiocy/incompetence, you name it. Does this country really want four more years of McBush?

On edit: What does CBS have to say? I'm sure they'll make up another lie to fit the spin.


Update:

The ABCNews.com Political Radar blog said of Obama's statement in a May 13 post that "Obama posited -- incorrectly -- that Arabic translators deployed in Iraq are needed in Afghanistan -- forgetting, momentarily, that Afghans don't speak Arabic." In responding to the post, Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton reportedly said that "(t)his poorly researched and written piece is inaccurate in that it just completely ignores the need for Arabic translators in Afghanistan" and noted the presence of foreign fighters in Afghanistan, including those from "various Arab countries," as The New York Times reported in October 2007. In addition, during a report on the January 18, 2002, edition of PBS' NewsHour, correspondent Spencer Michels reported that "U.S. intelligence agencies and the military have been scrambling to hire or train speakers of Middle Eastern languages like Arabic, Farsi, and Pashto, all languages spoken in Afghanistan."

link

Let's not let Rove get away with his distortion.

[predfan]

1. What does Rove expect?

McCain is the same guy they crucified in 2000, only 8 years older.
Of course he should be cut some slack.

[ProSense]

4. Rove is a liar and a criminal. n/t

[Youphemism]

2. "I'm ignoring a congressional indictment right now. Do you see me making a big deal of *that*?" /nt

[Champion Jack]

3. Why the Hell isn't Rove in jail?

[patriceclaire.com]

5. He hides behind Bush's skirts

Come out, come out, where ever you are! Fat Little B***h!

[Imagevision]

6. Conyers/Pelosi need to drag this bastard into court and swear him in already!