Why in the world would McCain try to undermine DeWine's re-election effort:
Republican Sen. John McCain, a staunch defender of the Iraq war, on Tuesday faulted the Bush administration for misleading Americans into believing the conflict would be "some kind of day at the beach."Why in the world would McCain make such a foolish statement? A statement that it's very easy to refute by just going to the Whitehouse website and searching for the words "tough" and "Iraq war." Here are some of the statements I found:
The potential 2008 presidential candidate, who a day earlier had rejected calls for withdrawing U.S. forces, said the administration had failed to make clear the challenges facing the military.
"I think one of the biggest mistakes we made was underestimating the size of the task and the sacrifices that would be required," McCain said. "Stuff happens, mission accomplished, last throes, a few dead-enders. I'm just more familiar with those statements than anyone else because it grieves me so much that we had not told the American people how tough and difficult this task would be."
Before our mission in Iraq is accomplished, there will be tough days ahead. A time of war is a time of sacrifice, and we've lost some very fine men and women in this war on terror. (BTW, from this speech it's clear that Bush has a workable plan for the war in Iraq.)Those are just some of the many statements that Bush has made on the war.
We will do all in our power to ensure that freedom finds a lasting home in Afghanistan and in Iraq. We know this will require patience and sacrifice.
We've got hard work to do in Iraq. And it's tough, and it's hard. I know it's hard.
We have more work to do, and there will be tough moments that test America's resolve. We're fighting against men with blind hatred -- and armed with lethal weapons -- who are capable of any atrocity. They wear no uniform; they respect no laws of warfare or morality. They take innocent lives to create chaos for the cameras. They are trying to shake our will in Iraq, just as they tried to shake our will on September the 11th, 2001. They will fail. The terrorists do not understand America. The American people do not falter under threat, and we will not allow our future to be determined by car bombers and assassins.
And, therefore, the sooner the people -- the more the people realize that, I think the more comfortable they'll be with their future. And the sooner that sovereignty is handed over in a way commensurate with a -- with a stable country, the better off it is. That's been our position all along. So we're constantly reviewing the progress.
There's been -- obviously, it's tough. We lost Italian police today. These killers are -- they're hard-nosed people. They'll kill because they want to intimidate. They want us to leave. That's their goal.
They've got different ambitions. Some would like to see a Taliban-type government, that would be the Mujahedin-type people. Some want to revenge the loss, the defeat in Afghanistan. They would be your al Qaeda-types. And the Baathists, of course, want to get back in power. They represent roughly 18 percent of the people, and they've had 100 percent of the power. And they like that. And, obviously, in a free society, that's not going to be the case, power sharing as opposed to not power sharing.
And so there are elements of the Baathists and Saddam holdouts that are desperately trying -- and I use the word "desperate" because they see the progress being made. And there is progress being made. And I certainly don't want to underestimate the security situation. I know how tough it is. I know how tough it is firsthand.
Saying these things gives fuel to our enemies:
Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he was glad to hear McCain has realized "we need more than tough talk" on Iraq.Since McCain likes to stab Republican's in the back, I think we should call him, "McCaine." We don't need Republicans beating up our president in time of war, it undermines his authority and his ability to galvanize this nation to support the war effort. And it gives fuel to the forces that are working against our nation here and abroad. A man who does that should never be the commander and chief of our armed forces nor leader of this nation.
"It's time we win the war on terror," said Reid. "To do that we must change the course in Iraq."
(Link via Drudge Report)
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