WASHINGTON, March 14, 2008

McCain: A Life Entwined In Foreign Affairs

Presumptive GOP Nominee's Views Stem From First-Hand Experiences

  • Arizona Senator John McCain, left, spoke to Photo

    Arizona Senator John McCain, left, spoke to "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley in Baghdad, Iraq, during a 2007 visit.  (CBS)

  • Photo Essay John McCain

    Some call him a hero, some a maverick. Will Americans call him Mr. President?

  • Timeline McCain's Quest

    Mileposts in the Arizona senator's race for the GOP nomination and the presidency.

(AP)  Like no other candidate, John McCain has linked his campaign for president to an unpopular war - and to a lifelong focus on foreign issues that many voters ignore.

McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone, became famous as a Vietnam prisoner of war and has spent his long Senate career traveling to more foreign countries than most people could even name.

He makes his eighth trip to Iraq this weekend, a visit sure to get a lot of attention. But his weeklong overseas trip also includes Israel, Britain and France - all countries where he's made many visits.

A defiant supporter of the 2003 invasion and President Bush's troop increase last year, McCain is likely to focus in Iraq on the drop in sectarian violence and U.S. and civilian casualties since last summer.

His own situation has changed strikingly, too, since then. Now he's the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting.

Last April, as McCain's chances for winning the nomination seemed uncertain, the four-term Arizona senator toured a Baghdad marketplace, hailing the progress even though he was protected by three Black Hawk helicopters, two Apache gunships and 100 U.S. troops.

He was widely ridiculed as being out of touch.

As he returns, a new Pentagon study shows sectarian violence down 90 percent and U.S. and civilian casualties down 70 percent since last July.

Last December, nearly two-thirds of Americans said they opposed the war, including nearly a third of Republicans and nearly all Democrats, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo News poll. Opinions on the war have remained basically steady.

However, a poll released Friday by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal said about 35 percent of those questioned think McCain has the right approach for Iraq, compared with 30 percent for Hillary Rodham Clinton and 27 percent for Barack Obama.

McCain calls the fight against Islamic extremism the "transcendent challenge of the 21st century."

"I've made it abundantly clear that I would much rather lose a campaign than a war," he said this week in New Hampshire.

The one may be tied to the other.

Says Michael O'Hanlon, a foreign policy analyst at the Brookings Institution: "I have a hard time seeing how he wins if Iraq falls apart between now and November, and I have a hard time seeing how the Democrats use Iraq against him over that time if things continue to improve."

As Democrats Clinton and Obama fight over which of them has the credentials to be the next commander in chief, McCain offers a much lengthier foreign policy and military resume.

Now 71, he was born in the Canal Zone, where his father, a naval officer, was stationed. A graduate of the Naval Academy, McCain flew in Vietnam and was a prisoner of war for more than five years. In the Senate, he is the senior Republican on the Armed Services Committee.

He has visited every region of the world, including Antarctica and the Arctic Circle, and frequently meets with leaders of the countries to which he's traveled, both when he visits their countries and when they visit the United States.

McCain has been across the world so many times that aides named off the tops of their heads some 69 countries he's visited - including Azerbaijan, Estonia, Laos and Palau - and warned the list was far from exhaustive.

Aides say he keeps up to speed on the politics and policies of many nations - a passion he regularly displays to reporters traveling with him - and understands the long-term ramifications of having well-established personal relationships with foreign leaders.

He makes it a point to meet with up-and-comers, too. Aides say he met Angela Merkel at a Munich conference several years ago before she became German chancellor. In summer 2004, McCain met at a restaurant with Viktor Yushchenko before the Orange Revolution when he was elected Ukrainian president.

Next week, McCain is expected to meet with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for the first time, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy for the third time. He met and corresponded with Sarkozy both before and after he was elected. The two last saw each other last summer.

McCain has relationships with every leader in Israel he plans to see, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and hawkish opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu.

The senator last met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki last Thanksgiving, and he's also gotten to know other members of the Iraqi government.

He returns with two of his chief presidential supporters, Sens. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, but he insists it is a fact-finding venture, not a campaign photo opportunity.

"There's nothing like being on the ground," he said. Mentioning a mountainous area in northwestern Pakistan, he added, "I went to Waziristan once and it gave me a much better understanding of how difficult it is to get Osama bin Laden."

O'Hanlon, the Brookings analyst who says he's a Democrat, says McCain has shown a more realistic vision than Bush about the number of troops needed to succeed in Iraq, as well as the problems that were likely to be encountered after the invasion.

"What that tells me in terms of future policy is McCain may be willing to stay the course, so to speak, in terms of future difficulties, but also assess if the strategy is really working or not," O'Hanlon said.

Jon Alterman, a former Bush administration aide who now runs the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, notes that Bush's father spoke of "the vision thing."

"This president has always been strong on the vision thing, even when the implementation is lacking. I don't think John McCain is enamored with the vision thing. He talks about the task and focuses on the task. It's just a different orientation," Alterman said.

"The straight talk express is not often associated with diplomacy," he said. "But the advantage of it is you know what you're getting. And it may be that he's able to form quite valuable relationships precisely because of his bluntness."

©MMVIII, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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by blkpresident March 14, 2008 6:39 PM PDT
The word on the street is that OLD man McCain is ducking Obama and hiding behind Hillary''s apron. Some war hero...NOT!
Reply to this comment
by rowdytexan2 March 14, 2008 7:07 PM PDT
I''m against the occupation of Iraq, and the War on Terror needs to be fought internationally, not just with American human sacrifice. I believe in diplomacy at all costs before killing.

Other than that I admire Mr. McCain''s statesmanship, and the many stances he took against popular Neocon legislation and for thumbing his nose at the likes of Limpdrug, and ilk.
Reply to this comment
by prinzowhales March 14, 2008 7:15 PM PDT
Juan McWar enjoyed some "foreign affairs" in the private apartment in Hanoi provided by the North Vietnamese with some lucky little ladies for his participation in the making of 32 anti-American propaganda films for them.

They should have made him a North Vietnamese War Hero...In his military career he was responsible for the destruction of five US aircraft and the bombing of the USS FORRESTAL. Say it for us Johnnie!!! "HO! HO! HO-CHI-MINH!!
Reply to this comment
by smirk5 March 14, 2008 7:38 PM PDT
Insufficient progress is taking place in Iraq. If Cons disagree with that, then they disagree with Petraeus.
Reply to this comment
by bogdog30 March 14, 2008 7:53 PM PDT


Hanoi (jane) still disabled from the war, having callouses on her back gained from the VC as well as a slight drip ...

advises Kombat Kerry (whose hanky ''do'' still serves as a helmet)that he must not forsake the ex-raghead Ears.

Kombat recounts his medals.
Reply to this comment
by realpatriot1 March 14, 2008 8:26 PM PDT
bogdog30,

Yes, Jane Fonda is a worthless piece of trash. So what''s your point?
Reply to this comment
by homespunlady March 14, 2008 10:32 PM PDT
Hello, REALITY SPEAKING.

WAR is expensive and has BANKRUPTED more STABLE economies than the US before.
WHEN will the nation be hearing about McCain''s ECONOMIC PLATFORM??

My guess- about the SAME TIME GEORGE APOLOGIZES for calling the CONSTITUTION "just a G0D D@MNED piece of paper".

John McCain has changed the subject or sidestepped with I DON''T KNOW comments EVERY TIME he''s been asked about how he''d handle THE ECONOMY.

If he HASN''T noticed can SOMEONE CLUE HIM IN that there is a HUGE NATIONAL soon to turn into GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS going on RIGHT NOW!!!

John - put DOWN your toy soldier game and think about HOW TO PAY FOR IT!!
Reply to this comment
by navychief8 March 14, 2008 11:52 PM PDT
The word on the street is that OLD man McCain is ducking Obama and hiding behind Hillary''''s apron. Some war hero...NOT!


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Posted by BLKPRESIDENT at 06:39 PM : Mar 14, 2008

John Mcain Service in Viet Nam is beyond reproach. To joke about his service disrespectful to all former POW''s. You sound like an Amateur.
Reply to this comment
by navychief8 March 14, 2008 11:57 PM PDT
Juan McWar enjoyed some "foreign affairs" in the private apartment in Hanoi provided by the North Vietnamese with some lucky little ladies for his participation in the making of 32 anti-American propaganda films for them.

They should have made him a North Vietnamese War Hero...In his military career he was responsible for the destruction of five US aircraft and the bombing of the USS FORRESTAL. Say it for us Johnnie!!! "HO! HO! HO-CHI-MINH!!


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Posted by Prinzowhales at 07:15 PM : Mar 14, 2008


Your statements are with out class. I bet if you got locked up for years and tortured, you would sing like a school girl on command. Men like Mr. Mcain and Admiral Stockdale are honorable men who paid a tremendous price for our Country. What they sacrificed dhould never be forgotten. Your words re cheap and with out merit.
Reply to this comment
by March 15, 2008 12:06 AM PDT
The idiot son made the last off year elections about the Irag war. The repubs were taken to the woodshed..So go right ahead, John - I''m lovin'' it!!
Reply to this comment
by mcvet March 15, 2008 6:49 AM PDT
John Mcain Service in Viet Nam is beyond reproach. To joke about his service disrespectful to all former POW''''s. You sound like an Amateur.


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Posted by NavyChief8 at 11:52 PM : Mar 14, 2008
+ report abuse

I have a question for you and all the other Nazi''s out there. Why all the support for THIS veteran and the bashing and swift boating of the one before. No one can deny that we are in a much better condition if John Kerry is given a fair shake in the last election. Where were YOU and the OTHER "Patrotic" Nazi''s when THAT was going on? Hummm???? Sieg Heil Bush! YOUR all, every last one of you without an honor at all!!
Reply to this comment
by prinzowhales March 15, 2008 6:51 AM PDT
NavyChief--And just how many propaganda films did Admiral Stockdale make for the North Vietnamese?

McCain is a security risk plain and simple...He has been under the discipline of opposing forces...He is connected to organized crime through marriage...He was involved in influence peddling for his good friend Charles Keating. He is mentally unstable.

See Vietnam Veterans against John McCain for the scoop on this hellish creature...Hitler served his country too..."Bomb-bomb-bomb, bombbomb Iran..." There''s a foreign policy for you!
Reply to this comment
by kesac4650 March 15, 2008 8:20 AM PDT
Bush has never called the Constitution, "just a piece of paper".
The Republican''s have spoken out about "Swiftboating" and all other 527''s, while the Democrats speak only of the one that affected them.
The dishonesty of the anti McCain Posters on this board is absolutely numbing. If they had real issues, they could speak the real teuth with out the venom and attempted deciet.
Reply to this comment
by kalamazoo_ March 15, 2008 9:37 AM PDT
How can we trust Obama with the helm of the country with all its problems when he cannot even know what%u2019s going on in his own church? For twenty years his pastor
Jeremiah Wright has been shouting racial epitaphs and now just yesterday Obama wakes up and washes his hands of him? Will it take twenty years for him to bring about change that America needs? Obama must either be very naove to the things around him or he is twofaced.
I can no longer support him.
I cannot have faith in his leadership!
I cannot have faith in his vision, seeing that he could not realize the racial bigotry earlier on.
I cannot have faith in his understanding of people, world leaders!
With this said I question his motives for running for president!
Reply to this comment
by faultytowers March 15, 2008 9:53 AM PDT
Time: After the Election
Winner Barack Hussein Obama 44th President of the United States! Amazing!
Jesse Louis Jackson Vice President! Who else!
His Cabinet:
Louis Farrakhan, a known anti-Semite, Secretary of Defense.
Mrs. Obama: Secretary of Education: Teaching black children that white people keep them down! Reverse bigotry! Remember you have to keep the hatred alive from generation to generation! She is proud now!
Al" Sharpton Jr. National Security Adviser
Jeremiah Wright Homeland security:
Vision for America?
White America" had the 9/11 attacks coming, while calling for business "divestment from Israel," a "racist" state along with America.

Day 2
OSAMA receives a pardon to show tolerance towards Muslims for Love?
Reply to this comment
by watcher269-2009 March 15, 2008 10:01 AM PDT
McCain: A Life Entwined In Foreign Affairs

So McShame has SEXX with Foreign Lobbyists TOO?
Reply to this comment
by jwind11 March 15, 2008 10:01 AM PDT
I have a question for you and all the other Nazi''''s out there. Why all the support for THIS veteran and the bashing and swift boating of the one before. No one can deny that we are in a much better condition if John Kerry is given a fair shake in the last election. Where were YOU and the OTHER "Patrotic" Nazi''''s when THAT was going on? Hummm???? Sieg Heil Bush! YOUR all, every last one of you without an honor at all!!

Posted by MCVet at 06:49 AM : Mar 15, 2008

everyone, ignore mcvet, he has ptsd real bad and is to much a wuss to go get help for it
Reply to this comment
by perception5 March 15, 2008 11:15 AM PDT
Folks might not line up 100% with McCain but one thing is for sure......

He''s the real Mccoy................

Very moderate political views and has what a lot of politians in Washington DC don''t have ....."common sense".
Reply to this comment
by cfin5 March 15, 2008 11:23 AM PDT
Correction,.....You mean his political life is entwined with the "Council of Foreign Relations" which trumps both sides of the isle way. And that translates into that he has nothing to do with the Constitution,.....not for its betterment anyway.
Reply to this comment
by wardoglrs March 15, 2008 12:36 PM PDT
Vote Ron Paul there is no better choice.
Reply to this comment
by cfin5 March 15, 2008 1:06 PM PDT
Vote Ron Paul there is no better choice.

Posted by WarDogLRS at 12:36 PM : Mar 15, 2008------That''s whose name I want to see when I vote in November. I''m not voting the lesser of "three" evils this year. Bush said in 1999 that he was against all kind of things like abortion, nation building, et all. Still murdering the babies and still ruining my economy for Iraq......He, McCain, and plenty other phonies have SOURED the reputation of conservatives like me for the last time. Made SUCKERS out of the very constituents his staff is now trying to take away our 2nd. Amendment rights. President Bush''s BATFE has been far worse than Clintons!.....ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!! If RON PAUL was not running, I could vote for Hillary just so I could kick some DC counterfeit conservative tail. A fake conservative is worse than a bold face socialist. But a veiled racist like Barak Obama is despicable.
Reply to this comment
by singingrick March 15, 2008 2:11 PM PDT



If you like Bush then you''ll love the new improved McBush! He''s promised to stay in Iraq for a hundred more years if that''s what it takes to deny that it''s a total failure and completely FUBAR.



Reply to this comment
by singingrick March 15, 2008 2:14 PM PDT

Hey maybe if we stay in Iraq for another hundred years like McBush says he would do, we won''t have to admit that it''s already a total failure. That is until we are totally bankrupt.



lol!





Reply to this comment
by thestranger_ March 15, 2008 2:15 PM PDT
In America today we have this knight in shinny armor coming towards us promising us deliverance! He never fought a battle, He was present when the other knights fought the battles, and keeps His armor very shinny. When He is with the other knights He speaks as one who fought battles, remember now He never did He was only present, that He can conquer lions and dragons and bring this land America to tranquility. The other knights ask Him of His experience and He just points to the fact that He has shinny armor. These other knights see His shinny armor and wonder why this so called knight calls Himself a knight. This knight in shinny armor states %u201CI can bring CHANGE%u201D. The people without experience in fighting the real battles on issues are transfix on His shinny armor that they do not bother with the issue that He has no experience. The people see this knight as their hope. They point to the other knight who is in charge for now and say this is the reason why we need a knight with shinny armor (with no experience) the knight who is there now had no experience either and we want another one like Him!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply to this comment
by thestranger_ March 15, 2008 2:17 PM PDT
Dare we trust Obama with the helm of the country with all its problems when he cannot even know what%u2019s going on in his own church? For twenty years his pastor
Jeremiah Wright has been shouting racial epitaphs, America and Israel cause of 911 etc. etc., and now just yesterday Obama wakes up and washes his hands of him? Will it take twenty years for him to bring about change that America needs? Obama must either be very naive to the things around him or he is two faced.
I can no longer support him.
I cannot have faith in his leadership!
I cannot have faith in his vision, seeing that he could not realize the racial bigotry earlier on and he appears dumbfounded of finding all of this out now.
I cannot have faith in his understanding of people, world leaders!
With this said I question his motives for running for president!
Reply to this comment
by thestranger_ March 15, 2008 3:01 PM PDT
My name is Obama will you vote for me being a racist! I can change YOU!
Reply to this comment
by relee42 March 15, 2008 3:08 PM PDT
It looks like "Mr.McClean" is trying to skirt US campaign finance laws by holding fundraisers in London and Paris. John McCain has taken the public finance option so now he must cheat to make ends meet. He is safe, because as far as the Bush DOJ is concerned some people are more equal than others under the law and he is one of them. Let''s face it, he is the last great hope of the Republican Party. Let''s see what CBS has to say about that, probably not much.
Reply to this comment
by x123123 March 15, 2008 3:53 PM PDT
Did you not know when the plane hit the first tower certain people snickered? You know the people who go to that whatyoumallcall it racist church! They laugh and laugh! Then when they saw all the people running for their lives it gave them a thrill that America was learning Their lesson. When people started jumping out the windows and splatting against the sidewalks they shouted "They are getting what they deserve."
This is what is being taught in Obamas church!
Black power baby!
Remember now disguise it with racism
or is it the other way around?
Reply to this comment
by x123123 March 15, 2008 4:19 PM PDT
The time is right now. Place where on the floor above where the plane hit at the World Trade Tower. We are about to jump! We look with our binoculars to the church Obama attends. We see people looking at us laughing at us as we are about to jump to our deaths! And we cry are they the ones? Then we jump.
Reply to this comment
by blkpresident March 15, 2008 4:34 PM PDT
Hey OLD man McCain,

Have you had your geritol today? What about a nap? If you''re so much of a war-hero answer this one question OLD man, Why are you ducking Obama and hiding behind Hillary''s apron strings? Scared yet OLD man. Mr. T has some advice for you if you dare take on the Obama shuffle OLD man, "I pity the fool"...Where''s your "blankie" gramps?
Reply to this comment
by theearthling March 15, 2008 6:50 PM PDT
I have traveled to and lived in every region of the world, including Antartica. The key words here are "lived in" whereas John McCain has only "visited" those countries. Does that mean I''m more qualified in Foreign Affairs than him? The Hiltonites, as I call them reallly don''t know what the people of a country or region think, only what the "leaders" of a country think. Don''t be fooled by using this criteria to determine who is best qualified to lead our country.
Reply to this comment
by iceman_1960 March 15, 2008 6:52 PM PDT
"McCain: A Life Entwined In Foreign Affairs"

That was a strange headline.

A body might get the idea he was having romantic affairs in Paris and Rome.
Reply to this comment
by prinzowhales March 15, 2008 7:45 PM PDT
kesac4650--You are absolutely correct! Bush never called the Constitution "just a piece of paper"...He called it "just a g-dd-mned piece of paper"!
Reply to this comment
by stn_sage March 15, 2008 10:39 PM PDT
Smirk5 makes point that conservatives may be in disagreement with Gen.Petraeus if they think sufficient progress is being made---he doesn''t!

CBS_Oliver makes point that it''s not a matter of whether things are going well, but why it''s (still) going at all!

Excellent---I agree! Finally, Mr.McCain''s Vietnam service is NOT above reproach---if---some poster is aware of/knows of information that shows it isn''t!
Whereas, I believe he deserves respect for his military service, it shouldn''t be the sole factor that qualifies him to be President!
Reply to this comment
by miles1967-2009 March 16, 2008 12:48 AM PDT

Apprently all of this FIRST HAND experience with foreign policy has not prepared him to be President. McCain does not have the judgment and patience to lead America. He is an ill-informed, myopic, close-minded man who is easily swayed by the bigoted religious right. Check out the result of his BRILLIANT support of the "Surge", not to mention the fatally wrong idea to go to war with Iraq in the first place, and not actually go after the 9/11 terrorists. Check this link out:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/18722376/the_myth_of_the_surge
Reply to this comment
by brianbwb-2009 March 16, 2008 4:29 AM PDT
Posted by x123123

I will offer an allegory. A "Black" man is kidnapped and "renditioned" to another country where he is made a slave. His children are slaves, and so on for almost 400 years.

After slavery became illegal, this "Black" person''s descendants were hung from trees, jailed on false charges, denied the use of public facilities, and to this day are still called by a racial epithet, and still denied equal consideration in almost all aspects of life, by "Whites".

When the descendants of that original victim state the obvious, that the "White"-controlled country still fears and hates and discriminates against us, as evidenced not only by history but also present fact, they are called "racist" by people like you.

You err, because your hatred towards us comes from fear and guilt, but your ego and arrogance forces you to disguise it behind ridiculous stereotyping, and our enmity towards people like yourself is a logical reaction to history and present fact.

Yes, many of us did note an ironic humor at the events, some of us laughed more than a snicker, the centuries-long history of what we still endure because of government officials who share your mentality, has given us that right, it had nothing to do with anybody''s church.
Reply to this comment
by greatdrivew March 16, 2008 4:44 AM PDT
McCain = war
Obama = no war

McCain = permanent military bases in Iraq
Obama = no permanent military bases in Iraq

McCain = tax dollars go to military
Obama = tax dollars go to health, education and infrastructure

McCain = continue Bush tax cuts for the rich
Obama = middle class tax cuts

McCain = NAFTA rewards slave labor? Oh well, get over it, Michigan.
Obama = NAFTA will be renegotiated to include enforceable labor and environmental standards.

McCain = pathway to citizenship
Obama = pathway to citizenship

McCain = bomb, bomb, bomb . . . bomb, bomb Iran
Obama = diplomacy not war

McCain = viewed internationally as an extension of Bush and the neocons
Obama = countries the world over are envious they don''t have a candidate like him

McCain = militaristic, control oriented and outdated
Obama = a new kind of leader

McCain = last-resort candidate of a desperate party
Obama = the People''s choice

Reply to this comment
by brianbwb-2009 March 16, 2008 4:52 AM PDT
"We are about to jump! We look with our binoculars to the church Obama attends. We see people looking at us laughing at us as we are about to jump to our deaths! And we cry are they the ones? Then we jump." Posted by x123123

And we, on the other side, having lost the fruits of our long labor to your prejudices, having worked much harder than you only to receive less, who put up with your supercilious "Let them eat cake" attitude for generations, do indeed laugh, and say "Jump!"

If you think that Mr. Obama''s church was a bit much to bear, you should have seen all the other homes, bars, schools, and "cardboard cities" also laughing.

Even funnier, you should have looked at the White House, the Pentagon, and the CEO offices of oil and oil support service companies around America, they were also laughing.
Reply to this comment
by brianbwb-2009 March 16, 2008 4:55 AM PDT
"Even funnier, you should have looked at the White House, the Pentagon, and the CEO offices of oil and oil support service companies around America, they were also laughing." Posted by brianbwb

Don''t get me wrong, I can understand how you wouldn''t be feeling the ironic humor on the way down.
Reply to this comment
by prinzowhales March 16, 2008 6:38 AM PDT
Mind you, these are polls of Americans...most of whom can''t find Iraq on a map...and many of them think that the sun revolves around the earth...They are also so f--king stupid that they elected Bush to lead them twice. Who really cares what they think?--The Regime doesn''t give a fig...Americans have made themselves irrelevant in the direction that this nation is going to take by supporting a Demopublican Party that is offering them a choices of faces to lead them in the Oligarchy''s predetermined direction.

Go back to watching AMERICAN IDOL, scum! When the Demopublican Regime needs your children, they''ll send their draft notice in the post!
Reply to this comment
by skyk-2009 March 16, 2008 7:48 AM PDT
People you don''t have to be a very intelligent person to figure out that what we are and have done in Iraq is WRONG! When the President of Iran can just walk right into the country ANOUNCED, and have all these rally''s and meetings, while OUR leaders are forced to visit in SECRET and no one knowing they are there until they are "Safe" in the Green Zone? Now after 6 years and a Trillion Dollars, it would appear to me that something is NOT RIGHT and it IS NOT Al Queda... AL QUEDA is Sunni... The MAJORITY of Iraq is SHIITE!!
Reply to this comment
by grumpas March 16, 2008 9:15 AM PDT
So McCain is good with foreign policy?????? When are these criminal''s going to start caring about American''s?????? They have ignored the problems here at home for 7 years now. They are developing into canyons that are swallowing all of us. We are in a mess here at home. All they can do is harp on keeping the money flowing into the money pit Iraq!
Reply to this comment
by homespunlady March 16, 2008 10:56 AM PDT
From a NYT editorial:

Mr. Bush boasted about 52 consecutive months of job growth during his presidency. What matters is the magnitude of growth, not ticks on a calendar. The economic expansion under Mr. Bush %u2014 which it is safe to assume is now over %u2014 produced job growth of 4.2 percent. That is the worst performance over a business cycle since the government started keeping track in 1945.

Mr. Bush also talked approvingly of the recent unemployment rate of 4.8 percent. A low rate is good news when it indicates a robust job market. The unemployment rate ticked down last month because hundreds of thousands of people dropped out of the work force altogether. Worse, long-term unemployment, of six months or more, hit 17.5 percent. We%u2019d expect that in the depths of a recession. It is unprecedented at the onset of one.

Mr. Bush was wrong to say wages are rising. On Friday morning, the day he spoke, the government reported that wages failed to outpace inflation in February, for the fifth straight month. Productivity growth has also weakened markedly in the past two years, a harbinger of a lower overall standard of living for Americans.

Exports have surged of late, but largely on the back of a falling dollar. The weaker dollar makes American exports cheaper, but it also pushes up oil prices. Potentially far more serious, a weakening dollar also reduces the Federal Reserve%u2019s flexibility to steady the economy.
Reply to this comment
by homespunlady March 16, 2008 10:56 AM PDT
And a little more from that editorial:

Finally, Mr. Bush%u2019s focus on the size of the federal budget deficit ignores that annual government borrowing comes on top of existing debt. Publicly held federal debt will be up by a stunning 76 percent by the end of his presidency. Paying back the money means less to spend on everything else for a very long time.
Reply to this comment
by homespunlady March 16, 2008 11:13 AM PDT
It''s so bad all I can do is LAUGH!!!

The ECONOMY is DROPPING faster than the Twin Towers that GEORGE IGNORED ALL WARNINGS about until it was TOO LATE. HE WAS PRESIDENT LONG before it happened and HE DID IGNORE the WARNINGS - irrefutably stated in SEVERAL DOCUMENTS.
ALL BUSH AND MCSAME seem to be doing is to "work Hard" to CARRY OUT OSAMA BIN LADEN''S STATED GOAL of DESTROYING THE US ECONOMY!!

Wonder what perverted logic George uses to JUSTIFY his TREASON and what Idiocy McSame uses to AGREE with such TREASON.

DIVERTING AWAY FROM OSAMA BIN LADEN (helloooo - he''s in AFGHANISTAN) to ENRICH THE ARAB OIL COUNTRIES where OSAMA CAME FROM through ENDANGERING AND PROFITEERING ON OIL sure sounds like TREASON AGAINST the US to me!

McCain is just lining the American people up for the killing of our way of life through the FURTHER DEVASTATION of our ECONOMY also.
I call that either "brain-dead" or insidiously TREASONOUS.

The American Citizen will soon be the NEW Slave-labor PEASANT that''s ALREADY fallen into being EXPLOITED an DUMBED DOWN.

As a previous campaign slogan once stated - "IT''S the ECONOMY"!
Reply to this comment
by blackwater66-2009 March 16, 2008 12:23 PM PDT
STAY THE COURSE OLDMAN JOHN ! Your our man to keep us safe and I need my security job in the big I a few more years !! Keep it going !!
Reply to this comment
by j-whitman March 16, 2008 3:09 PM PDT
A Life in Foreign Affaires ???

Iraq Policies in a war lasting over 5 years with little progress & no end in sight ??

Isral Policies that march protressively out of control ??

No Progress in South or Central America ??

Afhaganistan Policies that are not working & criminally under funded ??

Selling out our nation against the advice of our Secretary of Air Force ????
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by neobrian-2009 March 16, 2008 5:36 PM PDT
Let Him KEEP Traveling,..on His OWN $$$$$
NO MORE GOP
NO MORE GOP NO MORE GOP
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by Stratmaster7 March 16, 2008 6:04 PM PDT
The headline would have been more accurate if they had left off the last few words. Simply: "McCain, a life entwined"
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by jerr11 March 16, 2008 7:20 PM PDT
Foreign affairs and domestic affairs and affairs of the heart!

This old geezer just keeps on going and going and going!

With a little help from Halliburton and Via*gra!



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