DNC To John McCain: "Stop Whining"

John McCain "defended himself Friday against television ads that accuse him of advocating a 100-year war in Iraq," the AP reported. (The Huffington Post unveiled the DNC's Iraq ad -- you can view it here.)

The ads tie McCain to President Bush and cite McCain's comments that there could be an American military presence in Iraq for 100 years. They are being run by the Democratic National Committee and the liberal group MoveOn.org.

"One hundred years in Iraq? And you thought no one could be worse than George Bush," an announcer says in the most recent ad, run by MoveOn.org.

McCain brought up the commercials at a town hall meeting Friday in Denver, saying they are lies. He doesn't deny saying "100 years" in connection with U.S. military operations in Iraq, but says he was clearly referring to a possible peacekeeping force -- not a centurylong war, as critics imply.

"You have seen an ad campaign that is mounted against me that says I wanted to stay and fight in Iraq and fight for 100 years," McCain told about 300 people at the Robert E. Loup Jewish Community Center.

"My friends, it's a direct falsification, and I'm sorry that political campaigns have to deteriorate in this fashion," McCain said. "Because there's legitimate differences between myself and Senator Obama and Senator Clinton on what we should do in Iraq."

But the DNC is hardly backing down. In a statement released to The Huffington Post late Friday, DNC communications director Karen Finney said, "John McCain should stop whining. We can see why John McCain doesn't want people to see this ad, but its time for him to defend his own words. Clearly John McCain knows that the more people learn about his real record and his willingness to keep our brave troops in Iraq for 100 years, the more they'll see he is not the right choice for America's future."

Moreoever, the Dems pointed to a new poll showing why McCain is "so upset":

Results from a new national study among 629 self-reported Democrats, Republicans and independent voters showed that after viewing a new DNC ad attacking Senator McCain, independent voters' favorability ratings of the senator decreased by 10% points.

The study was conducted by HCD Research on April 29, 2008, to obtain Americans' perceptions of a new DNC ad entitled "100" that attacks Senator John McCain. The ad features a clip from a January 3, 2008 town hall meeting in Derry, New Hampshire in which Senator McCain responded with his hundred year remark to a comment from an audience member who mentioned last year's White House statement about the U.S. having a possible 50 year military presence in Iraq.

Among the study findings:

• Prior to viewing the ad, 57% of independents rated Senator McCain as either "Very Favorable" or "Mostly Favorable." After viewing the ad the number dropped to 47%. On the same measure, favorability ratings of Senator McCain by Republican viewers decreased by 4% points after viewing the ad, 80% to 76%.
• In response to a hypothetical election matchup between Senator McCain and Senator Barack Obama, survey participants favored Senator McCain 39-36 prior to viewing the ad and favored Senator Obama 40-36 after viewing the ad.
• In response to a hypothetical election matchup between Senator McCain and Hillary Clinton, survey participants favored Senator McCain 40-38 prior to viewing the ad and favored Senator Clinton 41-38 after viewing the ad.

Comments

[john85msy]

**ALERT**

John McCain has a huge problem in what he said today about Iraq and our oil situation.

[shockmagog]

It's those con-sarned recording contraptions what does it.

[apoyo]

It appears neither McCain nor Bill Clinton understand modern recording technology and distribution potentials. What a way to learn, on the job training.

[IntelligentDesign]

The issue is not the exact nuanced meaning of McCain's 100 year comment, it is that it shows the same shoot from the hip macho man mentality of one George “Bring-em-on” Bush - we would expect this type of gross behavior from insecure adolescents trying to impress their friends, not from the POTUS.

End the madness, vote Barack Obama.

[graffen48]

John "100 years in Iraq" McCain and

Hillary "nuclear obliteration of Iran" Clinton

What a pair!!!

[shockmagog]

Whenever a Republican cries foul, and before I can respond, I have to remind him to take his foot off my neck.

[shel3364]

If the man could run solely on his war record, he'd be untouchable. Unfortunately for him, he has to open his mouth.

The dems are gonna mop the floor with him.

[SupremeIdiot]

What war record? 22 flight hours over Viet Nam or his spilling his guts to the Vietnamese?

[BeyondGoodAndEvil]

I heard many ex-Servicemen won't vote for him.

[borderorder]

A superficial cut and typical stylistic foreshadowing. The man's a ham.

[TocinoHumano]

He's a Republican. Whining about what victims they are is their stock in trade.

[supermanolo]

I got a big old cheese wheel for McCain's Whine. There is even some salami and crackers to go with (oh yeah, McCain is the cracker for the cheese).

[SpinCycleRadio]

I suggest the Democratic candidates run a fairer ad regarding John McCain's statement. I hereby volunteer the following tag line:

(Candidate Name) wants to succeed in Iraq so our troops can leave as soon as possible.

John McCain wants to succeed in Iraq so our troops can stay as long as possible.

The rest of the ad should consist of pre-war and early war clips from Bush, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, etc. regarding how quick they expect things to be, to show how this has all been a giant bait-and-switch by the Republicans, a lie at least on the same scale as the WMD themselves.

[IRIE]

Was He wrong?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_PywCHDLWA

[haboob]

not in that clip

[shockmagog]

Some people have trouble with the truth when it runs counter to their world view.

[blindjester]

The republicans have taught us that your stance, your beliefs, your record and your platform are meaningless. Public perception is all that matters. BIll Clinton was slandered shamelessly, then Gore, then Kerry, and the biggest criticisms of the last two is that they didn't fight back enough.

McCain's stance, beliefs, record and platform are wrong, wrong, disappointing and wrong, but nobody wants to talk about that.

So make him look stupid with his own words, like the 100 years comment. Let's see the "bomb bomb bomb" Iran shtick again. Let's show pictures of him hugging Bush like an idiot, and meeting with Keating of Lincoln Savings. And paint him as the corporatist war candidate that he is.

[Paul]

McCain should be happy that the Democrats are sticking to what he actually said.

If Karl Rove was running the DNC we would probably be hearing about documented long-term psychological damage suffered by POWs in Hanoi.

Perhaps McCain would prefer to frame his suitability as a President at that level.

[NochlessMonster]

My friends...­.. I can not defend words I have no recollection of saying.... my friends...­.

[BeyondGoodAndEvil]

Those poll numbers are encouraging. Independents need to know that McCain is not a maverick and not competent to be President.

[NochlessMonster]

By definition­.... being a Maverick is not necessarily a good thing either....

[BeyondGoodAndEvil]

True, but in McSame's case, he's like an old geezer version of Bush.

[supermanolo]

unless you mean a ford maverick with mags

[Synoia]

Self-swift-boating?

[borderorder]

Would that make him a Master Baiter?

[incontempt]

Johny, dear fella, you need to realise that you are the republican sacrifice to public ire, now don't be a chump and take the beating you deserve.

[08timefortruth]

You echo what I have been thinking..­....McCain is so obviously not going to win in November, no repub could after the Bush years.....­.do you think the GOP said "let McCain have his day in the sun and we'll save the better candidates for next time"?

[incontempt]

I think they propped up the outsider..­.the maverick knowing that a tsunami is coming, when he goes down...the­y will revel in history that he wasn't a neocon ,wasn't one of them, recent admissions from republicans state that only he as a republican was likely the only one who could stand a chance at being elected...­LOL