McCain and Kerry Answer Critical Questions

(CBS)  As the United States enters a ninth year of war in Afghanistan, and President Obama plans a new strategy, Katie Couric asked two key Senators, two war veterans, to look down the road ahead. Republican John McCain and Democrat John Kerry were asked the same ten Critical Questions.

Katie Couric: What has been the biggest problem with U.S. strategy in Afghanistan to date?

John Kerry: Well, we're entering the ninth year of a war that has been almost every year the same as before. We've had a strategy without an appropriate focus on the problems in Afghanistan. It's been a strategy for eight years focused on Iraq. Afghanistan has suffered for the lack of resources, lack of strategy, lack of coordination, corruption of government and all of that now we have to try to undo in a very short span of time.

John McCain: I think it has been insufficient resources and the right strategy. Some of it dictated by the practical aspects that we had to succeed in Iraq in order to - to not fail in Afghanistan.

CBS News Special Report: The Road Ahead

Couric: What does success in Afghanistan look like?

McCain: It looks like a country that - is no longer and cannot be a base for attacks by extremist religious organizations on the United States of America and our allies. It's a country that has a secure population so that the economic and political and other aspects of their life can grow and they can live in an environment of security.

Kerry: Success is having a sufficiently stable governance situation where al Qaeda is not capable of creating a sanctuary from which to plot an attack against the United states and where it will not destabilize Pakistan. Pakistan is frankly the center of our strategic focus and in many ways is more important than Afghanistan, per se though Afghanistan is important in achieving the goal of Pakistan.

Couric: Are there limits to U.S. power and what it can accomplish?

Kerry:There are very clear limits to U.S. power. And they're probably even more clear limits today than in many times in the past. This is a new era of American foreign policy - a time where we need consensus. We need other nations to be at our side. And we simply can't do this alone.

McCain: I think there are definite limits to U.S. power and what it can accomplish. I think the reason why we didn't do a better job on Afghanistan is our attention either rightly or wrongly was on Iraq. But I certainly am confident that the strategy devised by General McChrystal and General Petraeus and Admiral Mullen - can and will succeed with sufficient number of troops and expanded Afghan military and all of the - kinds of strategy that provide a secure environment for the people.

[WmNye]

Where are the rest of the 10 questions?

[fedup12]

McCain: I think there are definite limits to U.S. power and what it can accomplish. I think the reason why we didn't do a better job on Afghanistan is our attention either rightly or wrongly was on Iraq.
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WOW did he say that our focus could have been wrongly on Iraq?

Again I say WOW!!!

[vpcharan]

Moving forward it is important to focus on the objectives and the means (tools) to achieve them. The objective is to prevent Al Qaeda from establishing a base in Afghanistan, which depends on the effectiveness of the Afghan government to govern and protect its borders and improve the lives of the Afghan people. One can keep Al Qaeda in check through the use of drones and surgical strikes from offshore ships. On the ground, we do not need more American and NATO soldiers; instead what we need are forces from the countries (Pakistan, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Israel) that surrounds Afghanistan and regional countries that stand to benefit from a stable Afghanistan. It is very clear that the military power alone will not achieve above objectives. The Generals want more forces,resources and money to keep the military industrial establishment going. The President has to weigh all other issues facing the country and decide what is the smartest action we can afford. Yes, the economic realities at home must weigh heavily moving forward. After spending billions of dollars over the past 8 years what is the result?

[brisandy]

John Kerry was and is and will always be an idiot!

[hungry1968-16]

by inketolstoy October 6, 2009 10:37 AM EDT
"And your personal accomplishments outweigh Kerry's?"

What personal accomplishments does Kerry have? I think that was rplat's point. How would the world be different if John Kerry never existed?







What a stupid comment.

How many people have lived and died since the beginning of time, whose existence didn't impact the world?

Since their lives didn't impact the world, your claim is that their existence doesn't matter?

I'd hate to be related to you, and I REALLY FEEL SORRY for your spouse and kids.

[inketolstoy]

As usual hungry, when challenged, you call the challenger stupid. I didn't say that Kerry didn't matter (as your expample proves), but I was making the argument that his accomplishments were not probably anymore significant than rplat whom you were attacking because he implied that Kerry hasn't done much. Maybe you are like the other poster that thinks Kerry is more important than most because he is in the news and is an "important" senator who has been part of the government that oversaw the creation of the mess we are currently in. What ever, the good news is we aren't related and while you may display the same type of arguementative skills I might expect from my children, your fake liberal concern for them will do them no good.

[hungry1968-16]

by rplat October 6, 2009 9:37 AM EDT
Ah yes, Kerry, that great military strategist that ran a motorboat for 4 short months during the Vietnam war. Other than parasite off of rich women this man has done nothing of any national significance. Enough of Kerry.






And your personal accomplishments outweigh Kerry's?

[inketolstoy]

"And your personal accomplishments outweigh Kerry's?"

What personal accomplishments does Kerry have? I think that was rplat's point. How would the world be different if John Kerry never existed?

[rplat]

Ah yes, Kerry, that great military strategist that ran a motorboat for 4 short months during the Vietnam war. Other than parasite off of rich women this man has done nothing of any national significance. Enough of Kerry.

[kcinnj]

Senator Kerry is a highly decorated veteran and his highest award, the Silver Star, actually was for devising a strategy and implementing it that likely saved the lives of his crew. However, Senator Kerry's qualification to speak on this does not come from having been in the Navy, but from his 24 years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Kerry was an accomplished Senator when he met Teresa Heinz at the Rio global warming conference. Teresa had been appointed a NGO delegate because of her own work on environmental causes. They clearly share many interests in common and have been married for over a dozen years. They are both serious, accomplished people, who don't deserve this idiotic right wing smear. It just sounds like you are jealous.

As to things of national significance, did you earn the nomination for President from one of teh major parties?

Here is a short list of Kerry's accomplishments:
1) As prosecutor, he succeeded in jailing one of the top MAFIA leaders in the Northeast
2) As Lieutenant Governor, he succeeded in getting the NE Governor's conference to agree to cap and trade for sulfur dioxide to counter acid rain - it became the model for the national effort.
3) To name two things, out of many, in his Senate career:
- he wrote the international money laundering legislation to counter international crime, drug running and non-state terrorists. He wrote it after his BCCI investigation helped close OBL's bank, It was not implemented until after 911 because it was blocked by people in both parties. It provides many of the tools the Bush and Obama administration has used to thwart terrorist attacks.

2) He and Kennedy wrote the precursor bill to SCHIP, which provides insurance to millions of kids.

[fedup12]

by USA_is_back October 6, 2009 10:23 AM EDT
by rplat October 6, 2009 9:37 AM EDT
Other than parasite off of rich women this man has done nothing of any national significance.

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You pretty much described McCain, didn't you?
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LOL YUP. Instead of Kerry Ketchup McCain is in Beer.

[formrusmcsgt]

Some of it dictated by the practical aspects that we had to succeed in Iraq in order to - to not fail in Afghanistan.
---
Repubspeak for bailing on Afghanistan after 4 months to go head-hunting in Iraq instead.

McCain must be speaking to 7 year-olds here....

[stuart-johns1]

99ereHsdadhgaB

Hey. Don't they have Brazilian news sites that you can post on? If not, why don't you spend your time starting one. You're absolutely worthless and clueless over here.

[fedup12]

by stuart-johns1 October 6, 2009 9:59 AM EDT

George Bush would say that they have a Brazillion of them. HE HE HE

[jnyren-2009]

McCain hasn't a clue about ground forces or Vietnam: he was shot down and knows nothing about the use of military ground forces. Why does anyone honestly take him seriously on this, let alone on fighting terrorist cells with conventional invasions ? We have added immensely tgo our opposition by two invasions.
McCain a war hero ? Yes ! Knowing what he's talking about on all this ? Far from it. He should stay home- if he can decide where home is.
a former ground soldier

[babooph]

As a 10 year old,looking at the world map in my classroom,I thought the US could & should take over the world-I grew up,little George clearly did not-what a total mess this nation is in !