Flashback: Read McCain's 'Mission Accomplished' Iraq Speech

UPDATE: John McCain said on Thursday that President Bush shouldn't be blamed for the "Mission Accomplished" banner:

Republican John McCain says President Bush should not be held responsible for the much-criticized "mission accomplished" banner five years ago, but he should be blamed for bungling the early months of the Iraq war.

Thursday was the fifth anniversary of Bush's dramatic landing on an aircraft carrier where the banner hung. The certain GOP presidential nominee said he thought the banner was a mistake at the time.

As a refresher, here is the first paragraph of Bush's speech in front of the banner: "[M]y fellow Americans: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed."

Moreover, McCain himself defended the banner in June 2003 on Fox News:

NEIL CAVUTO (host): Senator -- after a conflict means after the conflict, and many argue the conflict isn't over.

McCAIN: Well, then why was there a banner that said mission accomplished on the aircraft carrier? Look, the -- I have said a long time that reconstruction of Iraq would be a long, long, difficult process, but the conflict -- the major conflict is over, the regime change has been accomplished, and it's very appropriate.

And on May 22, 2003 -- just three weeks after Bush spoke on the aircraft carrier -- McCain offered a mission accomplished speech of his own. On the Senate floor, McCain proclaimed "massive victory" in Iraq and credited combat-readiness for "our victory" in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Here's the extended excerpt from that speech:

Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom demonstrated to the world what we saw just 12 years ago. We went to war as the most combat-ready force in the world. The value of that readiness is clear. We won a massive victory in a few weeks, and we did so with very limited loss of American and allied lives. We were able to end aggression with minimum overall loss of life, and we were even able to greatly reduce the civilian casualties of Afghani and Iraqi citizens.

In order to understand the issues involved, it is necessary to recognize just how difficult it is to achieve the kind of readiness we had during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Readiness is not solely a matter of funding operations and maintenance at the proper level. It is not only a matter of funding adequate numbers of high quality personnel, or of funding superior weapons and munitions, strategic mobility and propositioning, high operating tempos, realistic levels of training at every level of combat, or of logistics and support capabilities.

Readiness, in fact, is all of these things and more. A force beings to go hollow the moment it loses its overall mix of combat capabilities in any one critical area. Our technology edge in Afghanistan and Iraq would have been meaningless if we did not have men and women trained to use it. Having the best weapons system platforms in the world would not have given us our victory if we had not had the right command and control facilities, maintenance capabilities, and munitions.

Comments

[billaryisswillary]

Sen.McCain-ok,paI ,I won't blame Chimpy for the banner-JUST THE FRIGGING WAR. Now go take your metamucil and go to sleep-it's 9:20PM-past your bedtime!

[MildenHall]

More reason for the Dems to close this out and start whuppin' up on McCain. He's like a fat, juicy Thanksgiving turkey just waiting to get carved and served.

[bikerdude]

I suppose the speech he gave wasn't his fault either. That fucker lied to us with a smirk on his cheesy face. He needs to be impeached before its too late. He doesn't have the ethics, integrity or soul of a rattlesnake. He needs to be held accountable for this bullshit.

[Snerdgronk]

Im-Peached!?

Hees gotta pa(R)don his own self, on the way out ... An' call it "Bail-a-Con Immunity".

Snerd

[speakingtruth2power]

W doesn't do shit, other than read approved speeches.

KKKarl Rove was far more likely at fault for this banner.

Cheney had the words removed from W's speech but

didn't think of or know about that bragadocious banner.

[Snerdgronk]

That's because beforehand, the banner was sitting on the light side of the office ...

Snerd

[bikerdude]

As an adult, male, college graduate, former governor and executor of more prisoners than any other governor he certainly has the faculties to read what is in front of him and hopefully understands what he is saying. Truth be told, he doesn't give a damned what we think. He stood there smirking at us and lying through his teeth.

[Snerdgronk]

So!?

[WinslowLeach]

God. Please don't let this man become president.

[ranger5]

The president who dodged the draft and went AWOL from his National Guard unit landed on an aircraft carrier in a flight suit and acted as the master of ceremonies is the most extravangent and insidiously evil con game ever perpetrated on the American people. Like good monkeys, many American ate it up, and believed it, and condemned anyone who questioned the reality of it all as traitors. The press loved it and promoted it like it was the second coming. Now, all these years and wasted lives and wasted resources later, what have we learned? Not much. I predict that when Cheney orders the Navy to bomb Iran, Americans will once again line up patriotically behind the idiot-in-chief, and may even elect McCain as a by-product of their patriotic fervor. History is replete with governments and nations behaving irrationally, even suicidally, (Read Tuchman's "March of Folly")
Our nation is just the latest.

[Snerdgronk]

rang: "... I predict that when Cheney orders the Navy to bomb Iran, Americans will once again line up patriotically behind the idiot-in-chief, and may even elect McCain as a by-product of their patriotic fervor."

SG: I must say, I wonder the same thing ... I wonder what the October su(R)p(R)ise will be this year, and given the the hill the (R)z have to climb (i.e. Diebild won't be able to give them the election this time), just how big that event will be.

Conversely, if the NeoCon (R)z figure the election is lost, just what kinda mess will they leave a (D) and the attempt to hold 'him' accountable, for it and therefore the entirety of their administration.

In either case, the possibility of bombing Iran really worries me. The Italian fascists didn't go out as self destructively as the German fascist did ... Which will Cheney replicate I wonder ...?

Snerd

[PopeRatzo]

John McCain is an old, old man. Don't be picking on him now.

He keeps confusing "Mission Accomplished Day" with last Thursday, when he last had a solid stool.

[Snerdgronk]

Wellllll .... of late Americans have liked the presidents partially brain dead.

Snerd

[bikerdude]

Old has little to do with it. He is a military-minded asshole who thirsts for power. I wouldn't let him walk my dog.

[Puller58]

Here's the calculation: McCain is not beloved by conservatives. To maintain a base of support among the evangelicals, he needs to support Bush since they still love him. Now McCain's handlers will look for opportunities for him to disagree with Bush so he won't seem like Bush 3.0. Some of the policy nuggets he's thrown out indicate that he's trying it out. The rock bottom line is that Bush has to be embraced and distanced at the same time. Think "Dancing With The Stars." The moves have to be just right. Now imagine GOPers who are trying to figure out how to save themselves in November. I doubt they take any cues from McCain.

[yesyesyes]

The buck never stops........

[leftLibertarian]

McCain - Hang your head in shame you moron.

But be happy.

Your leader Bush is not in prison for his crimes

because the Democrats are too feeble.

[wadenelson1]

Nothing is Bush's fault apparently.

[bearman]

hey Ray, Somepeople are faster learner than others, it looks like its going to be a while before you catch on!!!!!!!

[robXdion]

A crying John McCain says, "Leave him alone! Just leave Bushy alone!!!"

[InjunTrouble]

Of course it is not Bush's fault. Bush is so stupid, that nothing is his fault.

[Marlyn]

It is ALL Bush's fault, including 9/11. It has been "stay the course" with the Neocon plan to invade 7 countries in 8 years, ever since their "Pearl Harbor" moment.