McCain's Diplomacy: I'd Tell Shiites And Sunnis To Stop The Bullsh*t

President Bush's inane likening of international diplomacy with appeasing Hitler drew excoriation from all quarters today. If you're looking for the sort of reaction that reminds one of being hit upside the head with a ball peen hammer, you can't do better than Senator Joe Biden's "This is bullshit." For a bit more nuance, however, look to Matt Yglesias:

Meanwhile, Bush continues to fundamentally misunderstand the purpose and nature of diplomacy. The idea of talks isn't that you marshal convincing arguments and beat your enemies back with force of words. The idea is that it's sometimes possible to achieve a reconciliation of partially divergent interests.

Interestingly enough, if we take Senator McCain at his word as to how he would bridge the sectarian divide that threatens to lead to a total unraveling in Iraq, it's clear that McCain offers little more than words - and not even forceful or convincing ones. Flashback to May of 2006:

In a small, mirror-paneled room guarded by a Secret Service agent and packed with some of the city's wealthiest and most influential political donors, Mr. McCain got right to the point.

"One of the things I would do if I were President would be to sit the Shiites and the Sunnis down and say, 'Stop the bullshit,'" said Mr. McCain, according to Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi, an invitee, and two other guests.

One thing's for sure: McCain's brand of "Kindergarten Cop" diplomacy is just the sort of thing that could have one yearning nostalgically for Bush's "Cowboy" diplomacy.

Comments

[Lisette]

WHAT A PACK OF IDIOTS BUSH AND MCCAIN ARE

WHAT AN EMBARRASSMENT TO AMERICANS !!

[Bpeirce]

oooooh Johnney thats almost as impressive as BRING IT ON!!! Nap Time John

[oafishcad]

Oh Gawd, another cowboy.

[stonepier]

Now THAT's diplomacy. What an idiot.

[atila]

with all due respect mr mccain,you are an ignorant....

[Wanjiru]

...is hoping that he ever finds his bearings a stretch?...

.

[LAR1969]

The bottom line is that McCain's BS policy is going to cost many Americans their lives. But since when have the Republicans cared about consequences like that?

[dumboldfarmer]

Oh, yeah...I could see that working. But seriously, is he kidding?

[stateMachine]

Brilliant! Why did no one think of this sooner! Simply tell them to stop... genius!

[frappe]

McCain, the ancient oracle has spoken. He has climbed down from the mountain and outside the green zone, near a burning bush, he was heard saying to both a Sunni and a Shiite, "Stop the f*ng Bullsh*t!".

[bentenrai]

This is one logic I don't get... McCain would rather divert the tax money we could use in the US to Iraq, and Iran military action, rather than talk them out of going into a war with us which by comparison is pretty much free. I guess that's because he doesn't have the skills. Obama does. He tells the Democratic 527 to keep it low, they do immediately. No questions asked. That's real power.

[openlids]

and then get punched in the head

[marc1antony]

people if you don't see that this is gonna be just more of the same idiocy... then, Lord we are in for more downslide in our country.

[olderdem]

I suspect the two things that will rally the Democrats around the eventual nominee is Bush and McCain. The incredible stupidity displayed by the Republican President and backed up by McCain today was disgraceful.

As an aside, I'm not a big Chis Matthews fan, but he was pretty good tonight going after some right wing nut that was accusing Obama of being an appeaser like Chamberlain. Matthews asked him repeatedly "what did Neville Chamberlain do" and the the idiot couldn't answer. Just kept saying "he was an appeaser".

[PioneerKing]

McCain's idiotic national security and foreign policy plans:
Bomb, bomb, Iran
Send the Shiites and Sunnis to their prayer mats for a time out
Hunt Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell
Stay in Iraq for 50 to 100 years after the war in Iraq is won - (McCain and the Bush/Cheney republicans fail to disclose what measure they use to define "won/win" - especially since it's been 5 years since Bush and the republicans told Americans that "the mission has been accomplished"
Kick Russia and China out of the G-8
This is the best that McCain has to offer even with his military service and 28 years of Washington experience.
What a brain trust - NOT!
http://www.newsweek.com/id/134317