ALBUQUERQUE, July 15, 2008
McCain: "I Know How To Win Wars"
GOP Candidate Knocks Obama's Afghanistan Plans, Says Current Strategy In Iraq Should Be Applied
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Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., makes a campaign stop at the Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town in Albuquerque, N.M., Tuesday, July 15, 2008. (AP)
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John McCain
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Afghanistan
Learn about the people, economy and history.
Moments earlier, his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, said in a speech in Washington that the U.S. must end the war in Iraq and that Afghanistan, by contrast, is "a war that we have to win."
McCain has described Obama's call for withdrawal from Iraq as tantamount to declaring defeat and points to the lower levels of violence in Iraq as evidence that sending additional U.S. troops there has been a successful strategy.
"Sen. Obama will tell you we can't win in Afghanistan without losing in Iraq. In fact, he has it exactly backwards," McCain told a town hall meeting. "It is precisely the success of the surge in Iraq that shows us the way to succeed in Afghanistan."
McCain added: "I know how to win wars. And if I'm elected president, I will turn around the war in Afghanistan, just as we have turned around the war in Iraq, with a comprehensive strategy for victory."
McCain laid out a blueprint for intensified military efforts in Afghanistan, where nine U.S. soldiers were killed and 14 injured in a militant attack Sunday, the U.S. military's highest death toll there in three years.
"The status quo is not acceptable. Security in Afghanistan has deteriorated, and our enemies are on the offensive," he said. "From the moment the next president walks into the Oval Office, he will face critical decisions and crucial decisions about Afghanistan."
Three more brigades should be sent to Afghanistan, McCain said, as well as a presidential envoy to deal with countries vying for power in the region.
In his speech, McCain said the extra brigades could be brought to Afghanistan as troops are removed from Iraq, but speaking later to reporters he hedged on whether some of those troops could come from NATO instead of the United States.
He also insisted there was a "vast difference" between Obama's call for more troops in Afghanistan and his own.
Obama "has no strategy," insisted McCain. "All he has done is say we need more troops."
McCain contends more foreign troops won't be enough to bring security to Afghanistan.
The Afghan army must be doubled to about 160,000 troops, he said, and he called on foreign countries to help pay for the cost of the increase. The increase in security problems has come even with more NATO troops in Afghanistan. McCain said the area needs a supreme unified military commander in charge of all the forces in the region to mount an effective counterinsurgency program.
The border with Pakistan is particularly troublesome for U.S. anti-terrorism efforts in the region. In his town-hall comments, McCain faulted Obama for saying that he would consider unilateral military action in Pakistan to strike at al Qaeda leadership.
"In trying to sound tough, he has made it harder for the people whose support we most need to provide it. I won't bluster and I won't make idle threats. But understand this, when I am commander in chief, there will be nowhere the terrorists can run and nowhere they can hide," he said.
McCain also proposed appointing a White House czar on the Afghanistan war.
President Bush has already appointed a so-called "war czar" for both Iraq and Afghanistan, but McCain said he wanted someone reporting to him with direct responsibility for Afghanistan. Obama said Monday he would send at least two more brigades to Afghanistan.
"I will get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice," McCain said of the al Qaeda leader the U.S. has pursued futilely since the group's Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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See all 136 CommentsThe U.S.S.R. all over again only this time it''s the U.S.A.. McCain: "I Know How To Win Wars". I''m sure the Russians said the same thing.
Me: "Do you know how to AVOID unnecessary wars?"
Is he referring to Viet Nam, where he was shot down and became a prisoner of war? You don''t win wars by getting captured by the enemy. I suppose he would win a boxing match by repeatedly hitting his opponent in the fist with his face.
Or maybe he has just forgotten that he didn''t win the Viet Nam war singlehandedly. Just what war did he win? Maybe the war on truth.
Starting with Vietnam?
I''m not really sure what McCorpse''s real experience is.
By continuing your predecessors failed policies regarding the country we never should have invaded in the first place?
I thought when I was supporting Barack in the primaries he was going to be the type of person to just come right out and tell people, look we can''t have it all ways. We can try to best maximize our hands but we aren''t going to be able to ''win'' at BOTH A AND B at the same time - that''s a pipe dream. Instead he comes across as wimpy and a liar.
I don''t know ... all we seem to get is this strange superficial discussion that doesn''t seem geared towards moving forward in a strong, direct way ...
---"Sen. Obama will tell you we can''t win in Afghanistan without losing in Iraq. In fact, he has it exactly backwards," McCain told a town hall meeting. "It is precisely the success of the surge in Iraq that shows us the way to succeed in Afghanistan."---
Barack has adamantly in a very high-profile way now 5 or 6 times that he''s committed to withdrawal within 16 months (even though he''s also been equally admanant that he''s not committing).
Technically, it''s not a flip it''s an in-your-face lie because we all know he''s going to back away from that right? Because otherwise he''s going to get hammered for ''letting'' Iran fill the power vacuum in Iran, which isn''t going to happen under McSame''s (thanks to his 100 year plan).
I think people are very conflicted when it comes to war and security in the sense that they want everything and don''t want to hear that we''ve got limited choices - like now people say we shouldn''t have invaded, but given the exact same choice I''m not sure people would even now be comfortable leaving a defiant Saddam in power. People want to withdraw from Iraq, but they don''t want to accept the consequence that would mean a rising Iran/Iraq Shiite superpower. People want Iran contained but they also don''t like feeling trapped and seeing our economy go to pot as a result of not being able to leave.
McCain is just gonna be more of the same.
Other than WWII, what war has America won while John McCain has been alive?
So how does he KNOW how to win a war? His POW experiences? His 894 out of 899 aviator school grade? His two crashed planes?
McCain is just gonna be more of the same.
Posted by frootloop47 at 05:08 PM : Jul 15, 2008
Except with the addition of the Iran-America war, and the accompanying tens of thousands of dead American soldiers and sailors.
If he''s choosing not to go the route of trying to diminish public expectations to more realistic levels, then he justly deserves the blowback he gets when he''s caught trying to be all things to everybody.
He better get used to it because if he becomes President, the Right is going to be screaming about how under McCain''s plan containment of Iran wouldn''t be the problem it has become under Barack''s withdrawal of troops; the left is going to be screaming about how Barack lied about getting troops out in 16 months during the election to get their votes and is now taking too much time and is spending $$$ that should have been used on other programs here at home.
Oh well . . .
McCain is just gonna be more of the same."---
Posted by frootloop47
Still undecided :)
I think you''re jumping the gun on Obama not accomplishing he goal of troops withdrawals from Iraq over 16 months. The only issue up in the air is how many advisor/trainer/support troops need to be left to continue helping the Iraqis.
McCain is simple in.sane!
McCain knows how to get CAPTURED by the enemy and TORTURED, which he said didn''t work on him, but now he SUPPORTS TORTURE for everybody else! Is THAT how he thinks he''s going to "win" this war?
McCain is simply in.sane!
I think you''''re jumping the gun on Obama not accomplishing he goal of troops withdrawals from Iraq over 16 months. The only issue up in the air is how many advisor/trainer/support troops need to be left to continue helping the Iraqis."---
Posted by frootloop47
You say that based on what? Trust that he''s honest?
Gotta go.
Yeah. You put a match to a trillion tax dollars. Wala!
Genius.
Guess what, Archie. If you lose the election, YOU DON''T GET TO WIN THE WAR!
-McCane you need to know the only wars we win are those we don''t, or avoid fighting.
He disses two in five people on the face of the earth by referring to all Asians as %u201CGooks.%u201D He may be viewed as a %u201Chero,%u201D but I don%u2019t think being shot down qualifies him for the job of president.
We don''t want someone who onloy knows how to win wars! We want somone to STOP wars!
We don''''t want someone who onloy knows how to win wars! We want somone to STOP wars!
Posted by SgtRDS10-4,
I would also add someone who knows how to avoid optional conflicts and make better use of taxpayer dollars.
(CNN) %u2013 For the second time in two days, John McCain has referred to current events in %u201CCzechoslovakia%u201D %u2013 a country that officially ceased to exist in January of 1993.
Question is if he''s figured out the difference between a Sunni or a *****, or a an Arab and a Persian.
Yeah, I know how to win wars, too. DON''T START THEM.
You''re to War Happy.
Great. That''s Fantastic !
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