McCain Said U.S. Troops Kill Civilians

In their recent deep dive into negative, John McCain and Sarah Palin have hammered Barack Obama for supposedly saying our troops in Afghanistan are just "air raiding villages and killing civilians." One of McCain's recent ads calls the remark "dishonorable." Obama was actually calling for more troops in Afghanistan when he made the comment in August 2007 -- this smear was raised and debunked over a year ago.

Now, the Washington Times reports that John McCain himself once said something remarkably similar:

John McCain in 2000 said because of tactical decisions U.S. troops were put in the position of killing civilians in Kosovo -- something awfully similar to the comments he's now attacking Barack Obama for.

During a Republican primary debate in 2000 McCain called the Clinton strategy in Kosovo "obscene" because it forced troops into using tactics that meant civilians were going to get killed.

"In the most obscene chapter in recent American history is the conduct of the Kosovo conflict when the president of the United States refused to prepare for ground operations, refused to have air power used effectively because he wanted them flying -- he had them flying at 15,000 feet where they killed innocent civilians because they were dropping bombs from such -- in high altitude."

Sarah Palin said Obama should be "disqualified" for his remark about Afghanistan. Naturally, she should hold her running mate to the same standard.

Comments

[VictorLudorum]

Awww! Dear Rachel... American troops are muddled in Afganistan due to uncommon spokesmanship but i read and saw pictures of progress.A full army in the northwest is being prepared to face the taliban. infact being a Coalition member the US Troop managers should be stationed in Islamabad to negotiate the extradition of Osama and the Us Judiciary must offer a fair trial because nothing rough was really happening in the region.The Tanzania and Kenyan bombings were just the story we heard about the Marriot Islamabad bomings.

[MsMadame]

Please visit www.stealbackyourvote.com-

Protect your vote! Please share. The GOP are planning to invalidate your vote and steal the election.

Please share.

Peace and unity.

[Bitsko]

One word comment: a-hole.

[BluePride]

and this is BOMB IRAN of mccain fame:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLv4mtwsRos

[ChloeMS]

McCain should stop using the word "dishonorable" when describing ANY ONE! After all, according to his own words in his book about the time he spent as a prisoner of war, he was at best an enemy collaborator and at worse, a traitor, by offering to give "military information" in trade for hospital treatment. His words, not mine.

[mickeysteib]

Well, it sounds like there are a couple of things we all pretty much have to agree upon.
1) We, as a country, kill civilians as part of collateral damage.
2) We do not intend the terror this brings to those who are the victims.
In remembrance of the ten commandments and the golden rule,
perhaps we should add a prayer to our collection:

Our Heavenly Father, Help us never need to be in places where bombs are hitting
And help us never need to be where they are coming from.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Amen.

[tottie2001]

This doesnt surprise me at all...ever­y day McSame accuses O of something 2 days later we found out he said or did the same thing...he is obviously confused and in the first or second stages of dementia.

Disqualified? She is taking the soccer mom thing too far isnt she? Oh well, I guess her vocab limits her from using a more appropriate word.

[AKAchip]

I can't understand how anyone can support the Repubs and their policices. They defy logical thought. They are truly ignorant.

[KintePost]

Obama is doing very well in this debate. There is no denying that he looks smarter, better prepared, and more importantly, more equipped the be the next president of the US ...

[KayDGee]

Yes, he is. I cannot sort out why McCain would want to do this kind of debate when Sen Obama just looks better... and then etablishes that is IS better. Didn't McCain reverse course on the mortgage buy out? I thought he said before that he wanted to renegotiate the mortgages based on the value at time of purchase.

[AKAchip]

Notice that Obama is up on the questions asked. He, unlike McCain,does not have to have the question repeated or write it down before he forgets it. That image is priceless!!

[dadw5boys]

MC CAIN !!!!!!!!!!

YOU ARE NOT MY FRIEND !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[foofy]

Read this and pass it on, this is who Palin and McCain have associated with.

Palin's Association with Alaska Independence Party:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/02/politics/animal/main4407224.shtml

McCain's Association with Council For World Freedom:
http://news.google.com/news?q=Council+for+World+Freedom&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&hl=en&sa=X&oi=news_result&resnum=1&ct=title

[SugarMan]

Two - faced is what it is....

[NoMoFearNoMoHate]

McCain hates free markets... want to socialize home values!

Repeats $700 billion to evil oil nations falsehood.

[TickleyProductions]

I hope that people watch this film, see the clear choice in this election, and get to the polls:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YUD_MTlPuM

[hellinahandbasket415]

If the fashion in which these two run their campaigns is any indicator if how they will run the country, which I fully believe that it is, I think it's pretty damned clear who is right for the job. McCain is running his campaign, but acts as though the campaign runs itself and he has no control over the tempo or tone. I can almost picture him with raised eyebrows, hands in the air saying, "We're all just a bunch of mavericks, whaddya expect?"
Obama's campaign is running like a thing of beauty. States that were so readily handed to McCain before the campaigning really gained momentum are now tilting in Obama's favor. He's handling the hell out of this thing and making sure that EVERY American has heard his voice come November.
That's the kind of Executive Experience that defines.

[glblvw]

she must back on her pain killers...­she is getting confused between her husbad (who is running sleazier campaign than Bush) and Obama...th­ere is no other explanation for her absurd statement.­.

[khollo4]

Obviously you haven't kept up with the news.
Even B. hussein's buddies in the media have it 77% to 56% in B. Hussein's favor for negative campaigning.
Just the facts

[Gasparilla]

What facts would those be?

[hellinahandbasket415]

Yes, do provide facts to your claim...I'­m just dying to see the credible source of your opinionated spittle...

[Poyda]

"I heard that all of J Sidney the Third's buddies in talk back radio have said that McCain wears female underwear.
Just the facts."

If only I wasn't a typical Democrat who feels constrained by the truth I could say that with a straight face.

[CalifroniaMark]

Does the name Hussein supposed to scare us? What does that have to do with anything? Sen. Obama is responsible for His middle name? If you want to scare people tell them this:

Sarah and Todd Palin are Members of AIP who's founder says He has no use for America and Her dammed rules, a Group that Sarah Palin Welcomed in a Video this year saying " Your Group has an important role in Alaskan politics. (check out video on youtube) Why don't you tell Them about Sarah Palin sitting in Church this year while a speaker says Isreal is being attacked and punished because they wont except Jesus. Why don't you tell them that John McCain is apart of the Keating 5 which stole billions of dollars from Seniors. Shall I go on?

[OdaNobunaga]

Fox doesn't count as news.