If you think John McCain is a straight shooter on the war, wait till you get a load of the video we found from his speeches on the Senate floor. He now claims that withdrawal is unacceptable and that we must stay in Iraq until it is a viable nation that can police itself. He now says he doesn't care if we stay in Iraq a hundred years.
As you will see below this is exactly the opposite of what he argued in Somalia and Haiti when we had a Democratic president. He demanded withdrawal not in an orderly fashion from those countries, but immediately -- damn the consequences. If you don't believe me, watch for yourself:
These politicians drive me crazy. They're all flip-floppers. Their position on any given issue is directly related to who the president is. If he's in your party, you support him no matter how wrong he is and what kind of a disastrous war he's gotten us into. If he's in the opposite party, you demand withdrawal as soon as possible. How do they get up there and make speeches that are diametrically opposed to what they said before and do it with a straight face?
Now John McCain isn't the only one guilty of this but unlike most other politicians he gets a free-ride in the press. They portray him as a maverick and a straight talker when he is nothing of the sort. Look at the video above, if he was a Democrat he would be called the biggest flip-flopper of all time.
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John McCain's Enormous Hypocrisy on the War
Posted Apr 13th 2008 6:00AM by Cenk Uygur
Filed under: Iraq, Young Turks, John McCain, Video
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 10)
1. You are correct about McCain and his lovefest with the mainstream press. However, I have noticed some articles/blogs starting to criticize some of his policies, and high time. Last I checked, he is the GOP nominee - his free ride is over.
As to McCain's 'maverick' and 'straight shooter' personality, that is easy to do when you are one of 100 Senators. Won't be so easy when you are the leader of the Republican party. McCain will be pulled in different directions by the hard liners in the Republican party - I believe he will do exactly what they tell him, just like W did.
David S. at 2:22PM on Apr 5th 2008
2. haiti and somalia are unimportant because they have no oil.
warren MacIsaac at 3:39PM on Apr 5th 2008
3. Republicans are schizophrenics!
Somalia is one of their favorite lies. George Bush Sr. LOST THE ELECTION and THEN committed U.S. troops to Somalia. People like McCain said, "GET OUT IMMEDIATELY."
But since Clinton really did get us out, they say, "Clinton cut and ran from Somalia!"
You say you want another example of radical, right-wing "19 per center" psychosis?
Okay.
"Muslims are murdering terrorists! We can invade their region of the world. We can torture them! They deserve it! We can bomb them into submission!"
"But if we leave, those poor, helpless Muslims will be slaughtered! There will be bloodshed! We have to stay!"
Make up your freakin' minds, lunatics!
And when a Democrat gets into the White House, all of the brain-less NATIONALISM will fly right out the window. They will sabotage every effort made by a Democrat.
Captain Negative at 2:57PM on Apr 5th 2008
4. Obama speech before the Council on Foreign Relations.
We need to focus our attention on how to reduce the US Military footprint in Iraq. Notice I say "reduce" and not fully withdraw.
I believe that US forces are still part of the solution in Iraq. The strategic goals should be to allow for a limited drawdown of US Troops, coupled with a shift to a more effective counter-insurgency strategy that puts Iraqi security forces in the lead and intensifies our efforts to train Iraqi forces.
At the same time sufficient numbers of US Forces should be left in place to prevent Iraq from exploding into civil war, ethnic cleansing, and a haven for terrorism.
We need not a time table, in the sense of a presise date for US Troop pull-outs, but a time frame for such a phased withdrawal.
Source-Obama.senate.gov/speech
Obama has also stated on numerous occasions that part of the troops from Iraq would be sent to Afganistan and also that after troops are withdrawn/pulled out, that is an extensive flare up of violence or AQ gaining power, he would send troops back into Iraq
robert okane at 2:57PM on Apr 5th 2008
5. You don't specify WHEN in 1993 he made those comments...was it before or after October 3 when the notable Ranger/Delta battle took place in Mogadishu?
Had we pulled out with our humanitarian mission accomplished and the warlords went back to their old ways...oh well, no great loss of face.
After they killed 18 of our troops...a totally different story.
I would love to know whether McCain's comments were before or after the "Black Hawk Down" incident.
Christopher Renner at 5:11PM on Apr 5th 2008
6. So, you're saying the mission *was* valid *until* the "Blackhawk Down" incident?
If 18 U.S. servicemen's deaths justify abandoning a mission, what a about 4000+ servicemen's lives?
Do you really believe that George Bush Sr. (in his final days in office) was suddenly a "humanitarian?"
Somalia sits over a subterranean valley of oil. During the U.S. "humanitarian mission" headquarters was in the Conoco building.
Imagine if Bill Clinton had committed troops to a foreign country a few weeks before dick & bush slithered into office.
Captain Negative at 5:57PM on Apr 5th 2008
7. HYPOCRISY? YOU WANT HIPOCRISY. GOOD OLD CENK WAS ALL FOR THE SYMBIONESE REVOLUTIONARY GUARD WHEN IT FIT HIS AGENDA. NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN HE CHASTIZES MCCAIN. WHAT'S UP???
KLIFF KLAVEN at 7:29PM on Apr 5th 2008
8. I love you, Capt. Negative! The 19% lunatics. On a more serious matter, do any of you veterans realize McCain wants to do away with the health benefits of the VA? He wants to put all their health care out there "on the open market." Yeah, no veterans with any health care problems (most of them) would be able to get health insurance from the traditional companies. In fact, under McCain's proposal, even he (with his skin cancer) would be unable to get health insurance. Glad he has served in the US Senate, so he had free medical care and insurance for life. Too bad the rest of you veterans won't get that (Lt. Curry) if he is elected.
Sarah at 8:57PM on Apr 5th 2008
9. CENK!! YOU ARE DEMOCRATIC IDIOT (OOPS! A REDUNDANCY.) YOU ARE LIVING PROOF THAT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY SELECTED A VERY DESCRIPTIVE LOGO FOR ITS MEMBERS--A "BRAYING JACKASS"--A SEXLESS RESULT OF A UNION BETWEEN A HORSE AND A MULE.
YOU COMPARE SOMALIA AND HAITI TO IRAQ. IRAQ IS THE KEY TO THE MIDDLE EAST. WE LEAVE, IRAN GOES IN. IT THEN INTIMIDATES THE SAUDIS, THE KUWAITS, AND OIL TO AMERICA COMES TO A GRINDING HALT. THEN LET'S SEE YOU HEAT YOUR HOUSE WITH SOLAR ENERGY AND ALL THOSE OTHER COCK-A-MANIE IDEAS.
gonefishin at 9:48PM on Apr 5th 2008
10. So, what you're really saying, gonefishin, is that dick & bush got us into a QUAGMIRE, that we can't get out of.
Thanks for sharing.
Captain Negative at 9:54PM on Apr 5th 2008
11. Gonefishin,
Rummy and Saddam shaking hands. Remember that? Iran could do nothing with Saddam in power. Iran fought an eight year war with Iraq . Millions died. The US under Reagan helped Saddam. Remember that? Perhaps you should read a book or two. I can recommend several, maybe you can read them to Bush,
Richard Kluge at 10:06PM on Apr 5th 2008
12. McCain is a democrat in an elephant's suit. When Kerry was running for president he almost jumped ship on the republican's and came over to the democrat's then. These people are all friends with each other behind the scenes, the whole democrat, republican thing is for our sakes and to fool us the best they can. Don't vote for either party or do because you'll get them both either way.
LambLion58 at 10:07PM on Apr 5th 2008
13. ummmmm, their are BIG differences between our involvement in Iraq versus Somalia or Haiti.
We were in Somalia and Haiti as part of a UN "Peacekeeping" Mission. There were no effective governments or nationalized troops in either country to "turn things over to" at any point and the US was only a small part of the overall operational force. In other words, we were not responding to provocation by those countries leaders or in response to a perceived threat of WMD's getting into the hands of those we are fighting.
Even Clinton said, when speaking about why he never went into Rwanda, that he didn't because "there were no US interests in Rwanda". The same could be said for Somalia and Haiti whereas Iraq is now clearly the main battlefield to fight global terrorism.
Comparing the missions of Somalia/Haiti to Iraq is beyond "reaching". This is all you democrats have? If this is it then you might as well just give up already.
Troy at 12:49AM on Apr 6th 2008
14. Why is it that the Scumbags that criticize the war and...well...criticize everything are the ones that have never worn a uniform...never done anything for their country other than sit on their FAT asses and do nothing than post blogs.
Bogie at 12:53AM on Apr 6th 2008
15. No matter how people feel about the war the vast majority of Americans don't want to see out brave soldiers trashed by cowardly liberals like Cenk Uygur. It is that very behavior that ensures John McCain's election as POTUS.
Robert Byngham at 3:29AM on Apr 6th 2008