Comments on: Candidates Scramble To Clarify Iraq Vision

Washington Post: Both Obama, McCain Forced To Refine Stances Based On Changing Events On The Ground

[deacon20081]

George Bush is adamant that he will not allow Iraq to be a free democracy. He can not understand why the "puppet government" he put in place is turning on him now. Go figure..........

[hungry1968]

The only one "Confused" Obama, is YOU.

You can not make a statement of this magnitude without visiting the country and speaking to military commanders first.

If this is the way you plan to lead a country we don''''t need your inexperiance.



Posted by Ariel133 at 10:17 AM : Jul 09, 2008





Why does he need to visit Iraq, to know that it''s wrong to stay there?

Why not listen to McCain himself on the issue:


Question: "What would or should we do if, in the post-June 30th period, a so-called sovereign Iraqi government asks us to leave, even if we are unhappy about the security situation there?"

McCain''s Answer: "Well, if that scenario evolves than I think it''s obvious that we would have to leave because -- if it was an elected government of Iraq, and we''ve been asked to leave other places in the world. If it were an extremist government then I think we would have other challenges, but I don''t see how we could stay when our whole emphasis and policy has been based on turning the Iraqi government over to the Iraqi people."

[ariel133]

Obama is acting elitist and sheding some of USA hatred indoctrines he learned from Wright, which is inevitable, with his statement that Americans should feel imbarressed if they don''t speak French in France.

What about all the people in the USA who don''t speak English?

Isn''t it something that he is concerned about France?

[ariel133]

%u201CDon%u2019t be confused. I will bring the Iraq war to a close when I am president of the United States of America.%u201D Obama says.


The only one "Confused" Obama, is YOU.

You can not make a statement of this magnitude without visiting the country and speaking to military commanders first.

If this is the way you plan to lead a country we don''t need your inexperiance.

[taotxzen]

Success in Iraq:


In addition to the terrible toll of Americans and Iraqis killed and wounded, the war in Iraq has diverted attention and resources from critical problems here in the U.S., where the housing market has been crippled, the stock market has tanked, gasoline has soared past $4 per gallon, unemployment is increasing and an extraordinary number of debt-ridden working families are staring into a financial abyss.

Even as oil companies are enjoying staggering profits, many Americans - in July - are already worried sick about the potentially ruinous cost of heating their homes next winter.

And then there%u2019s the so-called war on terror.

The latest news is that Al Qaeda, the terror network that actually did attack the U.S., has successfully regrouped in the tribal areas of Pakistan and has reconstituted its ability to institute terror attacks from the region.

For an administration joined at the hip to the oil industry, the lure of Iraq%u2019s enormous reserves was stronger even than the impulse to conquer an enemy that murdered more than 2,700 civilians on Sept. 11, a toll greater than the number of Americans killed by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor.

(cont)

[taotxzen]

(cont)

Referring to Al Qaeda members who regrouped in Pakistan, The Times reported:

%u201CCurrent and former military and intelligence officials said that the war in Iraq consistently diverted resources and high-level attention from the tribal areas. When American military and intelligence officials requested additional Predator drones to survey the tribal areas, they were told no drones were available because they had been sent to Iraq.%u201D

Who knows how long it will be before the U.S. disengages in any significant way from Iraq. What you can take to the bank is that this country will not make any major advances in energy policy, in health coverage, in rebuilding its infrastructure, in improving its public schools or in curtailing runaway public and private debt until our open-ended commitment to this catastrophic multitrillion-dollar war comes to an end.

How long will it take before that finally sinks in?

New York Times Bob Herbert

[taotxzen]

McCain Gets Testy With Vet Over GI Bill
By: Nicole Belle @ 4:30 PM - PDT

At the Colorado appearance where he stressed his economic program, John McCain got a question about a vet that he didn%u2019t seem too happy about.

The questioner, apparently a veteran, asks McCain about his voting against expansion of healthcare benefits to veterans for the years 2004-2007, years in which we have Iraq and Afghanistan veterans adding exponentially to the VA rolls. McCain testily reminds him that he has been endorsed by %u201Call the organizations%u201D and then launches into an explanation of his resistance to the Webb GI Bill that provided educational assistance to veterans. Wrong bill, Gramps.

When the questioner reiterates that his question went to healthcare%u2013not educational%u2013benefits, McSame reiterate that all the veterans%u2019 groups love him and blew him off. Temper, temper.

(cont)

[taotxzen]

(cont)

McCain: I%u2019ve received every organization in America, their awards%u2026[questioner says something-inaudible] Now, sir, I don%u2019t%u2026I don%u2019t know what you%u2019re referring to nor do%u2026[questioner continuing-inaudible] Sir, I%u2019m responding to your question and then I will let you speak again, if you%u2019d like, but you oughta%u2026the way we try to conduct these is let people finish and then I will go back to [audience applause] to you%u2026I%u2019ll go right back. So I don%u2019t know what bill you%u2019re referring to or what you%u2019re referring to and I%u2019ll be glad to have you refer to it. But the reason why I have a perfect voting record from organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and all the other veterans%u2019 service organization is because of my support of them, but if you can go ahead and respond if you want to. Go ahead. Give him the microphone back.

(cont)

[taotxzen]

(cont)

Q: I%u2019ll respond by saying this: that you do not have a perfect voting record by the DAV and the VFW. That%u2019s where these votes are recorded. And the votes were proposals%u2026they were proposals by your colleagues in the Senate to increase healthcare funding of the VA in 2003, 4, 5 and 6, for troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, and you voted against those proposals. I can give the specific Senate votes, the numbers of those Senate votes, right now.

McCain: Well, I thank you and I%u2019ll be glad to examine what your version of my record is. But, again, I%u2019ve been endorsed in every election by all of the veterans%u2019 organizations that do that. I%u2019ve been supported by them and I%u2019ve received their highest awards from all of those organizations, so I guess they don%u2019t know something you know. So I thank you very much and I will continue to be proud of my support for the veterans of this country and proud of their support.

[sunburn4]

McCain, What exactly is victory in Iraq? Im sick of these political criminals spewing their garbage! Iraq wants us out! All this war was about was the color green! All this war has proved is the level of greed and true disregard for human life by our government! This administration has proved to the world how little they value the will of the american people and just how corrupt they really are!!

[taotxzen]

If Iraqis want U.S. troops to leave, what will McCain say?
By: Steve Benen @ 5:30 AM - PDT

Now that a growing number of top Iraqi officials are talking openly about a timeline for U.S. troop withdrawal, it%u2019s worth taking a moment to consider how this might factor into John McCain%u2019s vision of an indefinite war, followed by an indefinite troop presence.

As luck would have it, McCain was asked about this kind of scenario at the Council of Foreign Relations in 2004, and gave a very straightforward answer.

Question: %u201CWhat would or should we do if, in the post-June 30th period, a so-called sovereign Iraqi government asks us to leave, even if we are unhappy about the security situation there?%u201D

McCain%u2019s Answer: %u201CWell, if that scenario evolves than I think it%u2019s obvious that we would have to leave because %u2014 if it was an elected government of Iraq, and we%u2019ve been asked to leave other places in the world. If it were an extremist government then I think we would have other challenges, but I don%u2019t see how we could stay when our whole emphasis and policy has been based on turning the Iraqi government over to the Iraqi people.%u201D [emphasis added]

Adam Blickstein asked, %u201CDoes the John McCain of 2008 agree with this assessment?%u201D Sounds like the kind of question an enterprising political reporter might pose to the Republican candidate.