Day Before McCain Touts Security, Pro-American Iraqi Leader Killed

John McCain was struck with a bit of unfortunate timing on Friday when his speech touting the security benefits of the surge was preceded by news of the death of eight civilians, including a pro-American leader of the Sunni Awakening, in a suicide bombing in Iraq.

Appearing at the American GI Forum in Denver, Colorado, McCain turned to a theme he has hit on all week: the surge of U.S. forces in Iraq were instrumental in nourishing the turnaround of Iraq's Anbar province.

"If Senator Obama had prevailed, American forces would have had to retreat under fire. The Iraqi Army would have collapsed. Civilian casualties would have increased dramatically," the Senator's prepared remarks read. "Al Qaeda would have killed the Sunni sheiks who had begun to cooperate with us, and the "Sunni Awakening" would have been strangled at birth. Al Qaeda fighters would have safe havens, from where they could train Iraqis and foreigners, and turn Iraq into a base for launching attacks on Americans elsewhere. Civil war, genocide and wider conflict would have been likely."

Sadly, the day before the address, a female suicide bomber set off a massive bomb that targeted and killed one of those Sunni leaders that McCain referenced. As the New York Times reported on Friday:

"At first, a car bomb seemed the only explanation for the huge blast on Thursday on one of Baquba's main thoroughfares that killed a pro-American Sunni militia leader, an Iraqi police captain, a local politician, and five other people... This time the target was Naim Abdul Jabbar al-Dulaimi, the leader of an Awakening militia group in western Baquba, according to Abu Muhammed, one of the militia leaders. Mr. Dulaimi was killed, he said, when the bomb detonated at 6 p.m. in front of the Rukn al-Azam restaurant, a popular hangout for Baquba policemen nestled among a crowded marketplace."

Dulaimi's assassination symbolizes some of the difficulties McCain -- and Obama -- face in campaigning around the Iraq war. How the voters in the United States will respond to violence overseas is impossible to determine. And certainly each candidate has base-appeasing arguments to make as to their positions on the surge. For McCain, however, this is the second time he has claimed that the surge protected individuals behind the Anbar Awakening only to be confronted by a pro-American figure's death.

Earlier this week, the Arizona Republican's campaign claimed that had "Barack Obama had had his way, the Sheiks who started the Awakening would have been murdered at the hands of al Qaeda." Their reference -- Abdul Sattar Abu Risha - had actually been assassinated by al-Qaeda in the very midst of the surge. Sattar's work, prior to then, was hailed by U.S. Army Col. Sean MacFarland as a major effort in transforming the province from one of Iraq's deadliest areas into one of its safest.

Comments

[Kungfublood]

"McCain's Surge Speech Poor Timing: Pro-American Iraqi Leader Killed" so tell me Sam just when is it a "good time" to tell lies to the American people?

[DaphnesDad]

To surge or not to surge. That is the all-important question.

As a voter, I haven't a clue whether the surge worked or didn't work. Nor do I care, frankly.

The more important question for me is: did the entire enterprise (the Iraq War) work? The answer to that is self-evident.

But yet these asses of American punditry seem to repeat ad-nauseum the same tired-old arguments, over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Sheesh, you would think that for all the money that these guys make, they would be capable of thinking outside the box and coming up with some fresh, original arguments.

Where oh where is dear Molly Ivins when you need her? (Probably turning over in her grave right now).

[lvdragonlady]

Isn't repeating something over and over a form of brainwashing?

[Viper]

And did anyone one point this out in the MSM... Nope

All I have heard is that Obama refused to admit McCain was right on the surge ... at least his new simple definition, the Mc Bush definition of surge...

Katti Pilgrim of Lou Dobbs crucified Obama on that.... Even though Obama answers is correct and he was not alone... the Iraq study group was agaisnt increased surge levels...but does a single DEM supporting Obama answer that question correctly ... Nope.

Regards

[dagnome27]

McCain thinks what Rove tells him to think that day - nothing more, nothing less...
Sad, sad, sad - and the MSM lets him get away with this BS day after day.

[Ramirez]

From Rasmussen:
*****

Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Over half of American voters (51%) now believe the United States and its allies are winning the war on terror, the highest figure recorded in nearly four years by Rasmussen Reports in a nationwide survey.

Only 16% now think the terrorists are on top, while 27% view it as a stalemate. Prior to this week"s survey, the number who believe the terrorists are winning had never fallen below 20%.

Last July, just 36% thought the U.S. and its allies were winning. At that time, an equal number"36%--thought the terrorists were ahead.

Other indicators in the survey also show that Americans have growing confidence that things are looking up in the war on terror.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/war_on_terror/war_on_terror_update

[tubette]

Unfortunately, this will never be heard by the right..... ever.... just preaching to the choir here....
Sad, but true......

[pizzmoe]

McSurge will just keep repeating the same lies over and over again, because as we all know, the more you repeat something, the more true it is.
McSurge will just keep repeating the same lies over and over again, because as we all know, the more you repeat something, the more true it is.

[AxelDC]

McCain is running into the same trap that hit Bush: "Mission Accomplished".

First of all, McCain wants to pretend that the war was a good idea to begin with, even though 80% of us think he is wrong.

Second, he wants to claim credit for the "Surge" and declare victory, even though it is premature to determine if this is a temporary pause or a permanent change.

Finally, he wants to say we won, but that is forcing him to accept that Obama's timetable is the right idea.

He has to declare victory without accepting a withdrawal, which Maliki made nearly impossible. However, if things go badly in Iraq in the next few months, suddenly his "Surge" isn't such a good idea after all, and McCain has no Plan B for either Iraq or his campaign.

[CHARLESTHETENTH]

If McCain is to win more voters he needs to distance himself from the Iraq War and his claims of catching Osama Bin Laden and all his rhetoric about the "surge"...for all we know Osama may be dead. The Iraq War has been played down so much in our media all these years that the American people for the most part are disconnected from it all. McCain is still playing the "fear" factor when in fact most people don't really care anymore. Osama may have been an issue early on...but no longer. McCain is old style with old thoughts, and remains so. If he keeps hammering on the same old theme and how much success the surge has brought the Iraqi people...it is mostly shallow and has not really done much especially for the Iraqi people. Their country is still in shambles and has a very long way to go toward rebuilding itself. Any improvement in security is only one milestone in the long road ahead for that Nation. McCain make it sound like total victory has been achieved. This election will depend on important domestic issues facing the American people and not the War in Iraq or Afghanistan...more emphasis on addressing these problems at home first. McCain does not get the message and it will cost him.

[luvangelHussein330]

Surprise surprise this information didn't make it to see the light of day via MSM

[LAB10]

The MSM edited out the light of day a little while back.

[skibum49]

Before the surge, there were about 132,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. Now the Pentagon says there are 148,000. But John McCain wants to remind us that the Surge is over and Mosul is safe and secure. Of course on the same day he said that suicide attacks killed at least 19 Iraqi troops, police officers and police recruits in Mosul.

So was the surge a surge or was it an "Escalation" where we supposedly replaced "combat" troops with more "support" troops.

McCain has indeed become Giuliani! A noun a verb and "the surge"

[thefringecenter]

This was not a surge. It was an escalation. Surge is what they do in sewing circles.

[Ish11]

Until we understand that by calling Obama a Muslim to scare people actually offends Iraqis , the surge will not really work. The Iraqis have played their part by outlawing the word INFIDEL (which they used to refer to us), we need to play our part by stopping to demonize their religion and culture. It will take us I mean US as a collective responsibility to make the surge work.

[WasteNJ]

Seems like Muslim bashing is in style now. If Americans are one thing, it's stylish.

[livesimply]

You make an excellent point. Too bad there are still so many ignorant people who will continue to see Muslim as a bad word.

[LAB10]

If it wasn't for bad timing he'd have no timing at all. Bless his little old heart.

[ladeyday]

ROTFLMAO

[ErnestineBass]

No timing makes him the perfect dance partner for Ro ve and "Stretch" Gregory.

[loax]

How are you going to worm yourself out of this, Johhny Boy???

[pizzmoe]

With help from the press, who is ignoring all of his little gaffes