McCain: Critics Distort "100 Years" Remark

(AP)  Republican presidential hopeful John McCain said his remark that American troops could stay in Iraq for 100 years has been distorted, yet he still suggests a lengthy U.S. presence comparable to that in Korea and other countries.

"Of course, that comment of mine was distorted. Life isn't fair, as Jack Kennedy said," McCain told a town hall meeting at Rice University. "I was talking about American presence after the war."

Responding to a student who had criticized his 100-year remark, McCain added, "No American argues against our military presence in Korea or Japan or Germany or Kuwait or other places, or Turkey, because America is not receiving casualties."

"I think, generally speaking, we have a more secure world thanks to American presence, particularly in Asia, by the way, as we see the rising influence of China," McCain said. "But the key to it is American casualties, America's most precious asset, and that is American blood."

The student had referred to McCain's response at a New Hampshire town hall meeting in January when he was asked about a comment President Bush had made about U.S. troops remaining in Iraq for 50 years.

"Maybe 100," McCain answered. "As long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed, it's fine with me, and I hope it would be fine with you, if we maintain a presence in a very volatile part of the world where al Qaeda is training, recruiting, equipping and motivating people every single day."

McCain insisted the United States "will win the war in Iraq and win it fairly soon," allowing U.S. troops to withdraw to military bases.

The student, 24-year-old Kelly Horn, quoted an analogy she said former President Clinton has made.

"He says if your neighbor's house burns down, you might let them sleep on your couch ... but after a year, it's not about the fire anymore," Horn said. "If we don't have a yearly time point or plan for withdrawal ... what will be our benchmark?"

McCain replied: "If our house is in danger of being burned down, then we will do whatever is necessary to prevent them from burning down our house, too. That's not what I say, that's what bin Laden says, that's what al Zawahiri says, that's what all of them say. Iraq isn't their ultimate goal. The United States of America is their goal."

He was referring to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his second-in-command, Ayman al Zawahiri.

McCain has said he expects Iraq war policy to be an issue in the general election, because Democratic presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton both favor withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq soon.

Though most Americans remain opposed to the Iraq war, they are now evenly divided over whether the U.S. should bring the troops home or keep them there until the country stabilizes, and over whether the war is going well, according to a poll released Thursday by the Pew Research Center. A year ago, when President Bush's troop increase was just beginning, most preferred a U.S. withdrawal and said the military effort was going poorly.

Though the economy has overtaken the war as voters' chief worry, the poll showed Iraq still affects people's votes. In a general election matchup between McCain and Obama, McCain does 31 points better in the survey among independents who think the war is going well than with those who think it is going badly.

McCain spoke at the university's James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, named for President Reagan's secretary of state. Baker introduced McCain and endorsed him at a news conference afterward.

[pakaal]

Yeah, fair''s fair, everyone''s distorting his "100 years" remark. So when are we going to get past all that and start discussing the second half of the same comment, where he said he wouldn''t care if we were there "1000 years"?

I think a larger problem than that of the statements being distorted, is the mindset of the person who made the statements to begin with.

[dvsden]

News for you John, people also distorted Kerry''s "I voted for it before I voted against it" line. It stuck anyway, as will your 100 years remark.

[watcher269-2009]

McCain says:

I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I%u2019m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant

When I said we will stay in Iraq 100 more years I meant 99 years - because a year has past since I made that statement you you are taking what I said out of context. Fricken Liberal Reporters - what till I''M PRESIDENT I will do away with ALL Liberal reporters who print what I say when I mean something else!

[alderon714]

(cont)
McCain stated the war in IRAQ would be a "cakewalk", we would be in and out of there in no time. You can YouTube it, because I don''t want to "flood" this post with McCain proof YouTubes. Then he states later that he can not figure out who told the public (USofA) such falsehoods, this war will go on for a long time.

Now, he''s taking the stance that it''s over soon.

Can anyone remember the Keating Five? Can anyone remember his attack on the first amendment... you can not speak or print issues about incumbent candidates now 60 prior to any elections because of McCain-Feingold%u2019s campaign reform bill (law/act).

Now someone please tell me why he will not debate the two remaining candidates in the Republican party race. Is it because he doesn''t want the light of day to shine on his inability to be President? Or is it the fact, he doesn''t want to be in public to make statements that weeks, days, or minutes later he contradicts himself on the points made prior?

[alderon714]

It must be heck to be old and forgetful.

McCain states that he would not mind troops in IRAQ for 100 years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-lYKrQPgZM

To compare it to Japan, Korea, Europe and such just shows how dedicated he is to keeping our troops off our borders and in other countries.

He states that the attacks on 9/11 were not caused by "blowback" of the US policies in the Middle East, however, the 9/11 commission seems to differ from his views.

He says, and through his words proves, he knows nothing of economics. With the dollar at a historical low. With Barnanke admitting the dollar is headed down more if "something" isn''t done soon. You, the MSM, want this as the candidate for the Republican party?
(cont)

[samthetvcat]

ha ha - I''m back to being a fan of Joe Klein''s . . . he was so pro-Hillary as her friend, I couldn''t read his stuff for a while. Awesome point about Shiites being the majority!

[ponco seno]

Is not 100 yrs, is more like 15-20yrs. McCain is Bush 3rd term.

[noregion5]

McCain is the same as Hillary,Obama, and Bush. They all need to go serve in this so called war. Ship them over there to have a campaign and govern. Trying to figure it what is worse these campaign tactics or our troops being over there. Do you think this will get better if any of these 3 get the nomination? Super Highway to he11 will be right here, my friends.

[quetzal0666]

watcher269

did those facts come from Fox News or from
any of the minions of soughern Baptist Convention Teletubies?...

those guys are just as ignorant about everything as the Taliban

[taotxzen]

McCain''s Iraq Fantasia

Posted by Joe Klein, TIME.com

John McCain continues to fight a different war in Iraq than...the U.S. military. It is a simple war of good v. evil, us v. Al Qaeda. There are aspects of truth to what he says--we''ve had good success this past year in the fight against the local branch of Al Qaeda, which the military calls Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). But we''ve had that success mostly because Iraq''s Sunni population turned on the terrorists and sent them packing.

Which brings us to today''s edition. The political news was: McCain takes a roundhouse swing at Obama; Obama counterpunches elegantly. But what caught my Iraq-obsessed eye was this statement from McCain:

"And my friends, if we left, they (al-Qaida) wouldn''t be establishing a base," McCain said Wednesday. "They''d be taking a country, and I''m not going to allow that to happen, my friends. I will not surrender. I will not surrender to al-Qaida."

(cont)