McCain Declares Mosul "Quiet" On Same Day As Three Suicide Attacks (Video)

Speaking about Iraq at a townhall event on Thursday evening in Greensdale, Wisconsin, Sen. John McCain declared, "I can tell you that it is succeeding. I can look you in the eye and tell you it's succeeding. We have drawn down to pre-surge levels. Basra, Mosul and now Sadr city are quiet and it's long and it's hard and it's tough and there will be setbacks..." (Video is below.)

McCain was wrong on two points. First, U.S. forces have not returned to pre-surge levels. Before the surge, there were 130,000 troops in Iraq; even if the scheduled troop reductions are carried out as planned, there will still be 140,000 troops in Iraq in August.

Moreover, McCain's claim that Mosul is "quiet" was disproved earlier today in grim fashion. Three suicide bombings -- two in Mosul and another in a surrounding town -- left 30 Iraqis dead and more than two dozen injured, according to press reports.

Clearly, McCain's various congressional trips to Iraq haven't made him infallible on the issue.

Here's video of McCain from this evening:

Comments

[MetalCanuck]

12:58 AM on 06/01/2008

To have any credibility they would have to have Ron Paul running, just send this guy to the looney bin. Too bad people are too blind.

[AnnieinOR]

03:56 PM on 05/30/2008

From Michael Ware, a CNN correspondent who has been Iraq:

"WARE: I"ll issue a word of caution, too. I mean Senator McCain has been here, what, more than half a dozen times. And we"ve seen him get assessments of Iraq terribly wrong. So I wouldn"t be hanging my hat on the fact that your opponent has only been here once."

[mamacat]

03:34 PM on 05/30/2008

As aside:
I was reading the things McCain said about the Vietnam War, that he said over and over, years ago. They sound a lot like what he is saying today. One could just substitute the word "Iraq" for "Vietnam", and the same lame arguments that he made 30 years ago can be recycled for today.

McCain makes the argument that we could have won the Vietnam War if only Congress had given the troops the support they needed. That statement is so wrong in so many ways, that it totally boggles the mind. I have to think that reality has nothing to do with his decision to keep fighting in Iraq, if he is going to recycle the same old arguments about Vietnam.

If he can look anyone in the eye and tell them that we are winning in Iraq, then I have to conclude that he is out of his frickin' mind.

[findingthetruth]

03:16 PM on 05/30/2008

Someone PLEASE explain this foreign policy experience that McCain touts.

YES, YES, YES! The next six months will be quite interesting.

[dgscol]

03:13 PM on 05/30/2008

Senator McCain is trying to win the "war at home", which is very important in protracted struggles such as these. There is a propaganda war waged by people supporting the enemy. Sometimes to counter them our officials make errant statements, as General Westmoreland did. However, I believe, Senator McCain does try to emphasize the positive, rather than "create" facts as the General did.

[frantaylor]

02:31 PM on 05/30/2008

Where are all the bloggers who insist that we need a president with military experience? Do we really need a candidate who's had an experience that has causes people to commit suicide at many times the normal rate? What is the sense in electing a president who was held prisoner of war for years and given psychotic drugs? Is there anyone out there who hasn't seen the movie 'Manchurian Candidate'? If you want to cite Jack Bauer, can I cite Angela Lansbury? We cannot risk WMD in Iraq,, but we can risk this?

[NoLove4HillaryAnymore]

02:26 PM on 05/30/2008

The guy is going to have a heart attack if he continues like this. You got to feel sorry for the old man but we can not let him ruin this country.

[JRandomPoster]

02:19 PM on 05/30/2008

Reading this, I am once again bothered about the reporting of troop levels.

Whenever they are reported, we really should also be counting the number of combat contractors (mercenaries) as well.

Other than that, this is just another example of the BushCo style of Big Lie that it is quite obvious McCain intends to pursue.

[ObamAtomic]

02:12 PM on 05/30/2008

Mr McCain how you define Victory on Irak?

[mahalosili]

02:09 PM on 05/30/2008

If McOut-of-touch is claiming we are succeeding in Iraq, came out with the word "quiet" to describe a place where there were three suicide BOMBINGS, 30 dead people, and many more injured, I'm really afraid what the opposite words 'active' or 'noisy' would mean to him. Couldn't help but think he really will "bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran."

McLiar is too old to admit he and his sugar daddy McLiar-The-Original made a mistake by invading Iraq. He will lie and say anything over and over again until Americans believe him, again. Even if it cost him the presidency (the third term).

I agree with McRidiculous on one idea though: thirty dead people.... are quiet. Really really quiet.

[mahalosili]

06:17 PM on 05/30/2008

**up

[GeeBee]

01:58 PM on 05/30/2008

The Democrats need to call McCain on his bullshit, every chance they get. Instead of "considering" a visit to Iraq with Grampy McSame, Obama should have pointed out all the old fart saw the last time he was there was the Green Zone and some very heavily protected areas. I would be surprised if he even saw any Iraqi citizens. If either candidate needs to know what's really going on there, some quiet time with some troops who have come back might be a good idea.

[freshfunk5]

01:28 PM on 05/30/2008

War is peace,
Freedom is slavery,
Ignorance is strength

- McCain '08 campaign

[JerryTheAngel]

12:35 PM on 05/30/2008

Did the Shia Al Queda terrorists explode these bombs Senator McCain?

[GiggidyGeshmoygen]

11:56 AM on 05/30/2008

mosul quiet? ---

maybe mccain just forgot to turn up his hearing aids ---

[steamboat]

11:44 AM on 05/30/2008

And we had 7 shootings here in Chicago the other day.