McCain Makes False Claims On Iraq Timeline (VIDEO)

In an interview with CBS News' Katie Couric tonight, John McCain made the false assertion that the Surge brought about the so-called Anbar Awakening. Except, as MSNBC"s Keith Olbermann points out, the Surge was announced after the Awakening. Olbermann also explains that CBS News edited the gaffe out of the final interviewed that aired Tuesday night.

Watch the video:

HuffPost blogger Ilan Goldenberg points out that this is not some minor gaffe, but a fundamental misunderstanding of the Iraq situation:

This is not controversial history. It is history that anyone trying out for Commander and Chief must understand when there are 150,000 American troops stationed in Iraq. It is an absolutely essential element to the story of the past two years. YOU CANNOT GET THIS WRONG. Moreover, what is most disturbing is that according to McCain's inaccurate version of history, military force came first and solved all of our problems. If that is the lesson he takes from the Anbar Awakening, I am afraid it is the lesson he will apply to every other crisis he faces including, for example, Iran.

Comments

[cougarrr15]

...and somewhere Dan Rather is shaking hs head with a chuckle.

[brainuser]

If MCain were your stockbroker. and he told you to buy, what would you do?

[ZHarris]

get another stockbroke­r...

[rosal]

Run the other way

[TheEmptinessOfTruthiness]

Sell

[loria]

invest in gold

[debwarot]

SELL - very, very quickly!

[Clarabell]

Now isn't that novel? CBS editing to make McGoo look better. That damned "liberal" media!!!

Where else in the world would they have such a stupid populace to fall for all this crap?

[VolvoBirkenstock]

Shortbus: A reminder of what happens to off topic ranters

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/profile/johnhusseinct

[AdLib]

Sweet! That slimy nametroll was tossed? Now what do I do with his farewell gift, the book "Stupidity for Dummies"?

[ZHarris]

email it to stupor bus?

[VolvoBirkenstock]

Gift wrap it for shortbus. He won't be around much longer.

[apogee2perogee]

heh

[somekid1234]

http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/07/mccain_meltdown.html

[AdLib]

Once again, maybe the media's tired of giving McCaln free passes?:

"McCaln gaffes pile up; critics pile on

Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen Tue Jul 22, 6:13 AM ET

Sen. J0hn McCaln (R-Ariz.) said "Iraq" on Monday when he apparently meant "Afghanistan", adding to a string of mixed-up word choices that is giving ammunition to the opposition.

Just in the past three weeks, McCaln has also mistaken "Somalia" for "Sudan," and even football"s Green Bay Packers for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ironically, the errors have been concentrated in what should be his area of expertise: foreign affairs.

McCaln will turn 72 the day after Sen. Bar ack 0bama (D-Ill.) accepts his party"s nomination for president at the age of 47, calling new attention to the sensitive issue of McCaln"s advanced age three days before the start of his own convention­."

[peacekitten]

the issue of chronological age in a society obsessed with longevity, only to worship youth for its own sake is a very strange dichotomy indeed.

it's not so much the issue of mc(ain's calendar age as it is his lack of mental agility. there are plenty of seventy somethings that don't come close to reflecting their age either in their mentality or their physical appearance.

that mental agility and willingness to be open to new thoughts is one of the obvious hallmarks of a mind that has not yet been calcified by hate, anger, arrogance and intolerance. it is not necessarily a sign of age. i've met entirely too many twenty somethings that are every bit as old and shriveled as mc(ain is accused of being, and it has nothing to do with the calendar.

whatever mc(ain's inner demons have been, and continue to be, they have overwhelmed him, and that is what makes him old, just as obama's hopeful message and seeming openness make him seem young. one has been eaten alive by life, and the other has not.

it's a big difference.

[Cyclone]

MCCaine will probably announce his VP choice the day after Obama's speech to try and grab the spotlight (what else has he got?)and take attention away from his birthday. I think it's imperative that Obama wish him a Happy 72nd Birthday! I iknow he won't do it but his serrogates should. It should at least be a Huffpost headline that way the media can't ignore it.

[dthom403]

What in the hell is going on in the corporate media. McCain has messed up at least once every single day and nothing. Something drastic needs to happen . This is dangerous and very suspicious what CNN, abc, and now cbs is doing. I've quit watching cable and network and just watch newshour on PBS. Not nearly as horrible. Something big like a lawsuit against the major media company for misinformation.

[BaltimoreSteve]

Give him a break, he is 71 years old.

[nonconformist2]

I would LOVE to give him a break, say around November..­..........­......to a FLORIDA RETIREMENT HOME! 8 - )

[Superbus]

He could move in with Robert Wexler's mother in law in Delray Beach.

[wmbear]

Take ten, Johno...

YEARS, that is....

[rosal]

Then he has no business runing for office. He can leave and take all the breaks he wants

[apogee2perogee]

I agree. I say Mcgoo should take a 2 year vacation starting tomorrow. That would be a nice, long break for him and everyone else.

[apogee2perogee]

Evidently using the spelling of Mcgoo with an a instead of a c is now forbidden. WTF?

[April]

It's not the age, its the philosophy. War is the first answer in McCain's world.

[suzyhein]

I called him OLD today and some guy called me an ageist jerk. WAH!

[VolvoBirkenstock]

That was shortbus.

[nonconformist2]

McGoo also "forgot" that Iraq did not share a border with Pakistan. It's not funny any more. It's scary. I honestly believe that McGoo is suffering from age related memory problems. To be the President of the United States is to, arguably, have the hardest most challenging job in the world. It ages you. McGoo is physically and mentally incapable of handling the position. So, if McGoo were to be elected, who would be making the actual decisions? Some kind of dark force like another D.ick C.heney?

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

It know goes beyond that. He talks about Country First but the last thing the country needs is a man with dementia when we are facing so many crisis. McRomney was actually right when he attacked McBush by saying the toughest job in the world is not for someone as old as McBush.

[TheEmptinessOfTruthiness]

You know 'em. You love 'em. They ain't going nowhere, back by popular demand, I give you, the NEOCONS.

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

Calling this a mistake is a mistake.Ei­ther he knows what's going on or he doesn't know.If the purpose of his "wisdom" is to win the presidency as it seems to be(meaning he'll say whatever sounds good) then there's no need to listen to him.On the other hand if these "mistakes" are acted upon in foreign policy( because he's not all there) what will the ramifications be of policy based on ignorance and wrongheaded thinking.L­astly,what­'s the deal with his phony smile that won't go away and the tranquilized behavior.

[TheEmptinessOfTruthiness]

Simple as that. He has little reason to smile and he's heavily medicated.

[wmbear]

Oh, so THAT'S why he keeps wearing that incredibly smug expression around. Pretty good meds, I'd say. Hmmmm. Wonder which ones?....

[DCinFrance]

This is more than just a typical edit job. Had they taken out the entire question and answer, well I guess that's their prerogative however irresponsible. But they keep the question, and then insert a response he made to a different question. Now, that is outright deceit. I would find it hard to believe that Katie knows how to edit video tape, so I'll pass on holding her to this. This came from elsewhere in that organization.

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

The way you put it is very interestin­g.If Katie is a real journalist we should be hearing something from her regarding the outright falsified presentation of her interview.­This is no small matter and if we hear nothing from Katie we'll know what her true values are.

[williamg]

The Republicans were looking for their next R eagan from 1980. Instead, they got R eagan from 1994.

[VOTER]

CBS.......­....news? ROFL

THANK GOODNESS WE HAVE THE INTERNET. CBS SHOULD LEARN TO USE IT.

[BWonka]

Like Mc Loser has? Bwahahahahaha

[gladys46]

I wait impatiently for O's response to Mc's assertion that he (O) would rather lose a war than an election!!

The man's elcreepO!

[TheEmptinessOfTruthiness]

In McCorp's upside-down opposite world, coming home is losing while staying to fight indefinitely is winning.

WTF!!!

[loria]

You won't hear an answer because it isn't true and you know it. It's a stupid sound bite. What I wait impatiently for is an indication that McCain really understands the complex issues in the Middle East and around the world. I am thinking not.

Could you please define winning the war in Iraq? That is the problem. There has never been any definition of what constitutes a win and if we stayed there for 5, 10 or 100 years we'd still be trying to figure out if we've won. We'd keep moving the goal posts and in the meantime all hell breaks loose in Afghanistan and we never catch bin Laden. Our military is stretched thin, as our soldiers serve tour after tour in Iraq. Did you see those soldiers over in Iraq? What do you want to bet that come November the soldiers will be supporting Obama rather than McCain.

[helonias]

Double his dose of Geritol