McCain On When Troops Can Come Home From Iraq: ‘That’s Not Too Important’

[babylonsister]

THIS needs to go viral; I can think of a few people who might not appreciate this attitude.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/06/11/mccain-iraq-important/


McCain On When Troops Can Come Home From Iraq: ‘That’s Not Too Important’

In an interview on NBC’s Today Show, host Matt Lauer asked Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) about his support for the war in Iraq. Noting that violence has decreased in Iraq, Lauer asked if McCain has a better “estimate” of when he would withdraw troops from the country. “No, but that’s not too important,” McCain responded:

Q: A lot of people now say the surge is working.

McCAIN: Anyone who knows the facts on the ground say that.

Q: If it’s working, senator, do you now have a better estimate of when American forces can come home from Iraq?

McCAIN: No, but that’s not too important. What’s important is the casualties in Iraq. Americans are in South Korea. Americans are in Japan. American troops are in Germany. That’s all fine.

Watch it at link~

McCain’s comments reflect a deep misunderstanding of the priorities of the public. Sixty-eight percent of Americans oppose the war; 62 percent believe the next president should “try to end the Iraq war within the next year or two, no matter what.”

But the comments aren’t surprising, given that McCain has supported keeping troops in Iraq for 100 to a million years. Earlier this week, McCain pledged to send an unlimited number of troops to Iraq:

Q: Will your support be there for however many U.S. troops are required?

McCAIN: Yes, and the fact is we are winning in Iraq.

For McCain, there is no end in sight in Iraq, but that’s “not too important” to him.

Update: Josh Marshall writes, "Get a good look. Within a day or so he won't have said it."


Update: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) remarks:

McCain’s statement today that withdrawing troops doesn’t matter is a crystal clear indicator that he just doesn’t get the grave national-security consequences of staying the course – Osama bin Laden is freely plotting attacks, our efforts in Afghanistan are undermanned, and our military readiness has been dangerously diminished. We need a smart change in strategy to make America more secure, not a commitment to indefinitely keep our troops in an intractable civil war.

[CherokeeDem]

1. It appears that....

McShame is trying to weasel out of his 100 year remark by saying that as long as the troops weren't getting killed it was ok. See, we are other places and it's ok (well, in some of those places, they would prefer us not to be there). It's the casualties, stupid. I fear that he could get somewhere with that argument and that scares me. However, he will probably forget he said and deny it as Josh Marshall wrote. This man really scares me.

[NewJeffCT]

2. I wonder how he will weasal-word this one?

It's not important why? because Baghdad is like heaven on earth?

[babylonsister]

3. This is a 'fail' on McSame's part. Doesn't even address the stop-loss

program that is ruining so many lives, whether they die or not. This man is insulting.

[jefferson_dem]

4. This one needs to get out there. It effectively frames the choice this election.

It's on the way -- viral style.

---> http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-05,GGLD:en&q=that%E2%80%99s%20not%20too%20important%20mccain&um=1&sa=N&tab=wn

[babylonsister]

5. It sure does; here's the video on DU-crank it up!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x146080

[jefferson_dem]

7. Already AP's "Quote of the Day"

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iNxTApa2sQRu0Xx99P3jt2bEXw7gD917U6480

[blm]

9. Biden and Kerry hitting McCain hard on this.

Heh...that's gonna drive McCain even battier.

[babylonsister]

10. Great news! I did see Kerry's statement: here it is, for everyone's

enjoyment.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3428109

[rocktivity]

6. If McCain doesn't understand why people think he'll be Bush III

He hasn't been paying attention to Bush II.

:headbang:
rocknation

[blm]

11. McCain doesn't even understand his own positions one hour after he takes them.

.

[DefenseLawyer]

8. Even if there is only one IED- one causality.

Is he really going to tell the family of that dead soldier that it "wasn't important" whether he was home safe or dead in Iraq? The fact that causalities are "down" is of NO consolation if your son or daughter is one of those "fewer" causalities in a senseless and illegal occupation.