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

[vnique]

Where was the Secret Service when the person made a threat to the life of Obama? Where was the Secret Service when the person made a threat to the life of Obama? Where was the Secret Service when the person made a threat to the life of Obama? Where was the Secret Service when the person made a threat to the life of Obama?

This shows me the people who attend the repubs rallies are ra..cis..t­s..... period.... and are not interested in the well being of our great country...­. PERIOD! deny it all you want.... look into the mirror and deny it ..... but the truth is written all over your bi ble totin a$$es

[Ldyandrea]

I'd be willing to bet that the Secret Service detail at the site of the rally is looking into it. However, they're not going to make a big thing about it unless there's something material to deal with.

[naeldwyck]

Inciting murder is not material?

[anothervoice2]

The real deal on McBush:

http://www.rollingstone.com/videos/player/23356460

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain

[bola47]

sorry for shouting but WHERE IS THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA ON THIS AND OTHER INCONSISTENCIES FROM MCPALIN?

[CaliTLC]

The media is still trying to get the coveted interview with Sarah Palin. They could care less about reporting the truth.

[Lagniappe]

Its awful hardt to sling mud and n,ot have some splash back on YOU in the process. That's why Obama has remained so unsoiled up till this point. But NOW is the time to sling,sling back hard, and sling it by the f'-----n shovelload ,Barrocky! If there was ever a school yard bully who's been needin' and askin' to have his nose set straight, it's McCon and that goes for his pitbull PIGpalion,too!

[Thomei]

Barack Obama is NOT the school bully like his opponent and although he will vigorously defend himself, you'll never see him push his opponent so far into the corner that they can't come out shaking hands at the end of the debate. We don't need a bully in the white house, and we don't need someone who angers easily, we need a leader with stability and good judgment to help us through troubled times ahead..

[edwarvir]

Lagniappe I hear dead people. lol

[orangemom]

I watch the cable networks and all I see are the ridiculous attacks on Obama spewed by Palin/McCain. WHY, WHY, WHY don't the negative stories about them make the news. Palin's scandals and McCain's lies could fill the newsday, but they don't.

[pjburns11]

This is turning into a true Shakespearian tragedy.

http://thetruthburns.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/the-tragedy-of-maccain/

[saami]

McCain as Macbeth and Sarah Palin as Lady Macbeth. Unfortunately these two would destroy us all to get their egos satisfied.

[MizLiz]

No, Lady MacCain is Cindy, and boy does she fit the part.

[Lagniappe]

Or how about GB Shaw's "Pygmalion­".IE "My Fair Lady" with McCain as Professor Higgins and Palin as Eliza Doolittle. Ofcourse,I'd change the names to the Senator John Doolittle(Or next to nothing) and Sheliza Pigpalion.

[MizLiz]

Thanks for that link! One of the best parodies I've seen in a long time.

[08politicaljunkie]

This is so good, thanks.

[SurrealPumpkin]

wonderful!

[Richard22]

McCain disqualified himself when he threw "experience" in the trash and selected Sarah Palin.

[candlepower]

McCain has not won a war yet!

[MarkieBee]

but, but, but I thought he knew how to win wars? He said so right there on my TV!

[demofem]

I guess he means he KNOWS how to win a war, he just hasn't told anyone yet.

[jon-mullen]

"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."

Really? How high was McCain flying when he was dropping Napalm on Vietnamese civilians? How high is he right now?

As someone who was born after the Vietnam War and who doesn't see communists halfway around the globe as a threat, I really hope to see an election that didn't rehash the old for/against Vietnam line. But with the Repug selection of John McCain and all this BS over Ayers, you can see where it's going...an­other lukewarm rehash of the 60's culture war. If that's what McBomber wants, someone has to ask how many civilians he killed.

Bring the troops home or bring the war home!

[MTOrtega]

McPalin are despicable, undeserving of the space they occupy and the oxygen they breathe.

It is not surprising that McCain is acting so imbalanced; after all he was a P.O.W for 43,800 consecutive, incessant, relentlessly harsh hours of horrendous existence.

I wonder; was it his maverick thinking that led him to place himself in danger during a mission getting himself shot down? How much does an F14, or whatever he was flying, cost tax payers?

Or was it his need to differentiate himself from papa? You know, earn a medal, and get out from under papa’s shadow.

Or was he over-compensating for his graduating in the bottom of his graduating class?

Erratic behavior. Impulsive behavior. Self-destructive behavior.

Is this an individual prepared to lead hundreds of millions of human beings? Over see a fragile national economy? Command the largest national armed forces on earth? Be a rational guardian of a nuclear arsenal?

Can this individual be trusted not to act against the best interests of humanity?

We must learn about his true mental health.

[lovethesinner]

Why has no one brought up the My Lai Massacre, or the carpet bombing of Vietnam, Tokyo, or Dresden with napalm?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_massacre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpet_bombing

I thought McCain was the one with strategic knowledge. How come he's making so many "tactical" errors?

Answer: John McCain is a RECKLESS OPPORTUNIST who is OUT-OF-TOUCH with the REAL NEEDS of the American people.

[pbcrunch]

I'm surprised this quote was dug up by Washington Times, of all papers... can't exactly accuse that paper of being in the tank for O...

[mistlesuede]

Me too. I don't suppose it will be covered on the MSM fact checking though.

[BluesDogLefty]

Palin can see Kosovo from her house, so she knows all about it.

[SurrealPumpkin]

Russia, Kosovo, Afghanistan -- That must be some house she has. Maybe she should have all the newly homeless come live with her, they can work on that new pipeline she's so proud of.

[ChewyToy22]

If McCain can't remember something he said yesterday, how's he going to remember something he said 8 years ago?

I'm sure if you played him the tape he'd still deny he ever said it. This is the man people want for President. He's a lunatic.

[white mende man]

Well I suppose McCain is finding out that as a Washington Insider who has served for over 26 years he has a lot of skeletons in that closet that his memory has failed him to remember, so becareful Palin when you hurl stones from that Glass House you live in.