Mitt Romney: McCain Invented Counterinsurgency Doctrine

Tin-plated fraud-bot Mitt Romney, who would say just about anything to get the nomination, has been out recently demonstrating that he'd say just about anything to get selected as the vice presidential nominee. And today, Romney took the nation on a mind-bending tilt-a-whirl ride into historical revisionism, telling Mika Brzezinski that John McCain, "after all, was the person who authored some time ago the philosophy that said a surge would work in Iraq."

Via TPM, here's the video:

Naturally, this is nonsense. McCain had long lobbied for additional troops to be sent to Iraq, but he in no way had a hand in the design of the "Surge" strategy. The closest John McCain came to participating in the "authoring of the philosophy" of the Surge was his involvement in a January 5, 2007 panel at the American Enterprise Institute. There, McCain and Sen. Joe Lieberman took second billing, providing the panel with their reflections from a recently concluded "fact-finding mission" to Iraq. Headlining the event, however, were the two men that actually did author the "Surge" doctrine, Frederick W. Kagan and General Jack Keane (ret.).

As Josh Marshall notes, Romney's comment "also dovetails nicely with the escalating cult of personality over McCain and the 'Surge.'" Yes, the Surge, whose successes are every bit as relevant as the "successful touchdown drive that the Washington Redskins completed last season in a game they lost 52-7.

Of course, a big difference between the Iraq War and a football game is that the Iraq War was a war of choice, a strategy that was supposed to yield several gains in national security, such as the removal of an imminent threat, the pacifying of bad regimes in the region, and an overall spread of democracy throughout the Middle East. And once you put aside the Potemkin "success" of the "Surge," you are left with a strategy that not only failed to deliver on its promised goals, but paved the way for seven years of de facto appeasement toward the terrorists who attacked America.

Hence, the value of Romney's meretricious distraction.

Comments

[GLaB]

"I actually, myself, believe that this idea of surging troops, escalating the war — what Senator McCain has been talking about — what I would call now the McCain doctrine … (is) dead wrong."

- John Edwards, on ABC's THIS WEEK, January 2007.

Let's repeat that for the mentally-challenged 90% of HuffingtonPost commenters and bloggers.

"I actually, myself, believe that THIS IDEA OF SURGING TROOPS, escalating the war — what Senator McCain has been talking about — WHAT I WOULD CALL NOW THE MCCAIN DOCTRINE… (is) dead wrong."

[zendem1]

First off, the word "surge" was cleverly used in place of "escalation." It's one of those cute little GOP words their wordsmiths come up with when needed.
And John McCain sold his behind to George Bush, he sold his soul to the Viet Cong, and now Mitt Romney, who McCain can't stand, has him by the cods. And don't think for one minute those aren't for sale, either.

[schicklett3]

The McCain Campaign is centered around DUMB - McCain and his co-horts stumble and stagger and stutter around trying to reinvent themselves every day. They listen closely to what Senator Obama says then try to word it into their own campaign. Laughable.
AND, John McCain has nothing, I mean nothing, to run on except the Iraq war and offshore drilling.
Well, we all know about the Iraq War and about offshore drilling - and both are wrong!
Stop the fear mongering, but wait, without the fear mongering what will the Republicans stand for?
My friends, John McCain SUX. Period!
Our economy is crumbling - both wars are failing (no matter what John McCain says) - and our country is facing extreme challenges. Senator Obama is the one to turn this country around.

VOTE SMART - OBAMA '08!

[Mattjoe]

Mit the twit is at it again.

Although I’m still thinking I like the ‘America has to stay America’ quote the best so far (in whiny response to Obama suggesting Americans open themselves up to other cultures)

The football analogy is a close second.

[3dtrix]

I swear to God, when I was a kid, I thought all rich people were smart; I assumed their wealth was a kind of worldly marker for cerebral firepower - the richer the smarter. It followed that if one were intelligent, one could expect to become wealthy.

Kids think the darndest things.

[hoopesaz]

Spot on. Take all of Hollywood, for example.

[ProfessorDuh]

Nothing has worked in Iraq. Nothing was really intended to. The Republiscum have always intended to stay there forever and dominate the region by force.

[LiberTLover]

How else would they get the oil contracts back for the oil companies?

[djk37]

Cheney's philosophy: "Peace is bad business."

[HatingTheGame]

Hmmm... looks like Mitt got a new hairstyle (wonder why the media is not going on and on about it). He's either trying to look less coiffed, more like Gumby, or trying to impersonate a crazed serial killer ("but he was such an ordinary man").

Not sure which will get him the GOP VP nod. My guess is looking like a serial killer.

[soithoni]

Do Mormons lie?

Or just stretch the truth like taffy?

Is there a difference, I wonder, to them? Let's see: is it a lie, is it the truth .... lie, truth.... that's a pretty advanced concept to Republicans...


Maybe we should start Mittens out with shoelace tying... then we'll move him up to advanced concepts like the difference between facts .... and steaming crappola.

[jaschrod]

Oh no, don't tell me, the Mormons are hypocrites also? I am so surprised.

[mabinog]

naw, it is b.s spewed, without regard as to whether it is truth or not, only that someone, somewhere will believe it and will vote for McBush. Spin, exaggeration, lie, or fraud, matters not to them, as long as it sells what they are selling.

[gipper1]

Please let McCain pick Romney as his running mate. Please, PLEASE!

[poco767b]

I know, chalk it up as a DNC win.

[Maloysius]

This is hilarious. McCain can't even show up for votes in the Senate. Does he spend Saturday nights and Sundays working out the strategic planning for Iraq? Don't we have a Commander in Chief who is supposed to be directing "stragery." Since when do Senators command our military? McCain flip flopped 3 times in one day re: the forces in Afghanistan. He doesn't even know that Czechoslovakia is no longer a country. This could pose a problem should you ever be called to employ your surge invention in Eastern Europe.

[Thron]

Romney will say anything as the desperate butter liker. He wants to be VP. When his faith believes that Jesus is an alien, not from Mexico, NO! But a real one, you know this guy will believe and say anything .

[LeftLeanWing]

How much are we paying the insurgents Not to attack our troops ?

Wouldn't it have been cheaper if we had just paid Saddam, Uday and Qusay a billion each just to go in exile in some remote part of the world

Then just put a lease on the country for around $10billion a year; with a promise of $150 billion pay off if the produced a stable government in 4 years ?
The US government should learn from Wall St. and just do a hostile takeoff of a country's economy and just sell of the parts back to the highest internal bidder.

I just saying, you know, thinking outside of the d@mn box.

[Thron]

We don't know for sure, but I know it's with our, your money

[SMP]

300 dollars a day each...our tax dollars.....................note: as the dollar decreases..the violence increases................The Surge is a total failure...this was in Iraq was sheer greed...republican greed.

OIL OIL OIL

BRING OUR TROOPS HOME!!!!!

[quadman]

This is really a strain. Regardless if the detailed plan of the surge were McCain's or not, he was advocating an increase in military personnel in 2006:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15805215/

Interestingly, McCain also said that more troops were needed back in 2003 as well:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-11-05-mccain-usat_x.htm

Whether or not this included the detailed strategies that became 'the surge' is really straining at minutia. Romney's statement is not the big deal this commentary makes it out to be and is a non-story for most people.

[doodlefarbe]

Hello Quadman - logical and reasoned commentary is two `sites down. You may be lost.

[speakingtruth2power]

Historical revisionism and dishonest projections are the two best tools they have,

except their classic reliance on fear and loathing, which has served the GOP well!

[zendem1]

The historical revisionism is the part that really tworks my chaps. Give them four more years and they'll have the majoirty of people in this country believing that Watergate was just a cheap power grab, and an attempt to get Ted Kennedy elected president.

[biglover]

What a surprise Mitt Romney lying? A republican telling the truth would be news!!!