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

[Pippilin]

In fairness, Senator McCain may not yet have heard about the deaths in Mosul at the time of his comment. However, considering the volatility of the situation in Iraq, it is undoubtedly foolish to
make comments today based on conditions yesterday.

[JiminNC]

Well, considering his suggestion that Obama is out of touch for not having visited Iraq recently, I would think he should at least know what he is talking about. Somehow, I doubt Mosul went from a sunny Baptist picnic on Wednesday to a bucket of blood on Thursday without some slight irritation in between. If McIraq was really "in touch" with what is going on over there, he should have known to expect Mosul unrest.

[BLinCincinnati]

Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y395Tftgz0E

Then try and say that. He's intentionally lying and deceiving us, just as GWB did. He's busted on tape while in Iraq, by people in Iraq.

[landmine]

www.juancole.com has the results of todays fighting posted by the time McCain gets up in the morning.
If he cared about being accurrate and timely, all he'd have to do is look before he spoke.

[xmw]

Don't fall for it Obama, this is why he wants you to go to Iraq. He knows it's not safe.

[CulureFX]

I have thought that too.... Remember he said he would show Obama around?? I don't trust him to give any guided tours through Iraq....

[LiberTLover]

I get the strong impression that the Republicans are using McCain, knowing his mental faculties aren't all present and accounted for, just like they did Bush. Bush was pushed as a good old boy you would want to have a beer with. McCain is a mix of war hero and grandpa Walton. But once the public buys the fabricated image and they are in the White House, completely differnt people are running the show. And we know how well that works out.

[abby4ever]

Geez, you couldn't make it up, it's that unbelievable. Talk about gaffe-prone.

[Venise Alstergren]

From bitter experience I am unable to trust a man who says "I can look you in the eye." Any more than I'd trust someone who says "To tell you the truth." To me he is a George Bush in partial disguise but with aspirations even more sinister. Beware the smile on the face of the tiger.

[vschicago]

Another McCain gaffe, another pass from the MSM on his gaffe...ca­n we fire the MSM?

[StillAmused]

"And, now," McCain continued, "you'll have to excuse me... gonna go do some more shopping in free Baghdad -- did ya' know Obama hasn't been there recently? -- soon as the Blackhawks, Apaches and rifle squads show up."

[thinkb4uleapII]

According to John McCain, "All Is Quiet On The Middle-Eastern Front".

[Jackyldo]

Yes all is quiet in Iraq incidents are down to about 46 per day from 150+ just several months ago.

We (our troops) are handing out coins that say in Arabic where will you spend eternity and then quote a bible verse on the other side.

Get our troops out NOW, There are there under false pretenses and in any case should not be there seeking conversions.

Enough is enough,

[cognitorex]

Obama to McCain: "John, my America is not losing."
Surrender is a figment of your imagination. - - .
I will not surrender, John McCain proclaims, as dramatically as he can.
Obama should declaim, "John, John, John. What are you thinking about when you say I, or our military or anybody else, might surrender.
Militarily, our warriors have won all the required battles to give the Iraqis a new start..
If John, your goal is to occupy Iraq, then leaving would be simply letting go of these occupation goals. This 'letting go' is the goal of both Iraq and America. There is no 'surrender' in bringing home our troops from Iraq. It's just admitting that our troops are not fairly deployed for either their sake or America's national security if they are used as referees and civilian police.
John, stop implying that America or our troops are losing or losers. There is no surrender in coming home. To whom would we losing Senator? We've reached the time for us to leave the bulk of the fight to the Iraqis.

It's time for America to declare itself a staunch ally of Iraq and Iraqi democracy and cease operations akin to an all out occupying force. No one entity specifically wins when we leave. We lose to no specific entity.
John, unless you pursue battle as an end in itself, which frankly scares me, step back and exercise common sense.
"There is no 'surrender­.'
"My America is not losing."

[hectorgvr]

I found McCain's I will not surrender act very disturbing. I think her suffers from post traumatic stress. It was as if he were in that prison camp gritting his teeth saying I will not surrender. In this regard his response is a sad thing. In another he is fighting that war over and over again and that's a scary thing. Added to his confusion about shia and sunni, his inability to examine geopolitical events other than through the lens of his trauma - seriously scary.

[robodweeb]

I was trying to figure out how flying over a war and being a POW makes one a "hero" and then I saw "Die Hard II".

The hero's name is John McClane.

Then it hit me... the Navy made a typo and gave those medals to John McCain instead of John McClane.

The real hero, McClane went on to resolve two more terrorists situations, one with a "Vengeance" and one where the choice was to "Live Free or Die Hard".

On the other hand McCain went on to the Keating 5.

[LiberTLover]

LMAO! Very clever!

[CocteausTwin]

How come few in the media call this SOB out on his outright lies. Oh thats right they are more concerned about what someone says from the pulpit.

[deke33]

Does John mean that he could go into any local bazaar in Mosul, Baghdad and Basra without a 200 troop escort with hovering copters to do some shopping? Then I suggest he take Bush, Cheney, Wolfnowitz, Fleischer, Rumsfeldt, Feith, Yoo, Perle, Chalabi, and Perino there to but some rugs.

[jeplanet]

Can Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter tag along, too??
Please Please !

[Insideout143]

Don't forget Sean Flamitty!

[e2008usa]

Ok... Bush said to McCain what he has to say in FOREIGN POLICY.... It's clear that it gets the information directly from the Bush sources... then He feel strong for to be the MESSAIH of the War.

What makes McCain FUNNY is that he reports the events ... making again and again ....GAFFE, ERRORS then ADMIT THAT HE HAS MISSPOKEN or Sorry I made a MISSTAKE. Why is he making himself RIDICULOUS again and again... this comedy is turning to a mental question. Does he forget what he has been told or is that serious from hm to run for President. I shall not have to refer to his age but Republicans shall be concerned to all the gaffes he makes everytime he give a speech.

[Insideout143]

I guess he doesn't fact check his speeches, probably doesn't know the facts to fix before speaking anyways. Yet, he's the more qualified?

[partyofone]

John McCain increasingly seems terrifbly uninformed, confused or both. Everyone resepects and appreciations his heoric milatry service. But the claim that it makes him an expect on curent military matters and diplomacy is ridculous.

McCain is an ulitmate DD insider who has become a easy pawn for self-serving coporate lobbyists. His rhetoic on reform does not match his record and current actions. Should we think that he is not swayed by what he hears from defense industry lobbyists and Pentegon propogandists. He seems to be their boy.

His Bravado on military matters is betrayed by his inability to keep the facts straight. I don't know if it is a function of age, I just know McCain dose not in any way seem to have the grasp of reality to make sound military judgements.

[partyofone]

Oops. Unedited version above. Here is the edited post.

John McCain increasingly seems terribly uninformed, confused or both. Everyone resepects and appreciaties his heroic military service. But the claim that it makes him an expect on curent military matters and diplomacy is ridculous.

McCain is an ulitmate DC insider who has become a easy pawn for self-serving coporate lobbyists. His rhetoic on reform does not match his record and current actions. Are we supposted to belevie he is not swayed by what he hears from defense industry marketerd and Pentegon propogandists. He seems to be their boy.

His Bravado on military matters is betrayed by his inability to keep the facts straight. I don't know if it is a function of age, I just know McCain dose not in any way seem to have the grasp of reality to make sound military judgments.

[Mekarri]

partyofone, speak for yourself. Maybe you are all gullible to buy mccain being a hero, but I am not. I don't consider you being a POW, or hostage means you are a hero. I never understood that. And with all due repect it seem to me that when a person has been in a war if that person doen't physically die it seem like some part of self does. I think mccain is insane and I think he will finish what bush started, which is the destrucion of our country. Like bush (the drunk) something is wrong with this man in his very core. Like bush(the coke head) I think something was always wrong with him even when he was a young man about a 100 years ago. Mccain has dead, souless eye and on top of that he is stupid. So one need to give grampa a seditive and put him to bed. He shouldn't be allow outside by himself.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Instead of McCain asking Obama why hasn't he gone to Iraq.

Obama should ask McCain.

Why haven't you talked with a veteran who lost their home in the mortgage crisis?
Why haven't you talked to a single parent who cannot afford medical insurance?
Why haven't you asked veteran why they cannot afford a college education after serving in Iraq?
Why haven't you visited A family who has been living in a trailer since Katrina hit?
Why haven't you talked to a car parts factory worker who's job was moved to Mexico because of NAFTA, when McCain refuses to reevaluate NAFTA.

Obama needs to fire back hard on the economy. McCain is worse than Bush on the economy because he wants $300MMM more tax cuts for the rich and corporations. McCain has Phil Graham advising him to deregulate investment firms even more. McCain says people facing foreclosure are on their own. McCain is a free trader to a fault.

[CocteausTwin]

Great questions.

[Insideout143]

You need to send those questions to the campaign.

[dsgeorge]

please send your email to www.barackobama.com

[mamacat]

Sen. John S. McCain III, the man who seems proud that he doesn't know the difference between shia and sunni, doesn't know the difference between three suicide bombers in one day, and progress. What makes him think he is competent to be President, other than an overriding passion to get elected?