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The Flip Flopper on Iraq? McCain
You'd think with all the media consternation with the non-existent "flip flop" of Obama on Iraq (you know, the one where he didn't change his position at all), reporters would be blowing their stack at the true flip flop from John McCain on Iraq.
Late yesterday, Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki said it's time for the US to leave, or set a timetable to leave.
There you have it. The Iraqis are basically telling the US that they endorse Obama's policy -- they want us to set a timetable to bring the troops home. John McCain in 2004 said we'd respect such a request, telling the Council on Foreign Relations:
Well, if that scenario evolves than I think it's obvious that we would have to leave because -- if it was an elected government of Iraq, and we've been asked to leave other places in the world. If it were an extremist government then I think we would have other challenges, but I don't see how we could stay when our whole emphasis and policy has been based on turning the Iraqi government over to the Iraqi people.
I just checked the McCain campaign website, and so far, he hasn't announced today that he will respect the sovereign government of Iraq, and adjust his Iraq policy to include a timeline for bringing troops home.
Well, maybe he said something but it wasn't on the website yet?
According to theWashington Post:
"McCain was silent on the comments Monday."
So the potential commander-in-chief has no answer to the prime minister of Iraq. Not even like, "Hey, Nouri, Roger that."
While McCain refused to answer questions on Iraq, today, his top foreign policy advisor said:
"Senator McCain has always said that conditions on the ground -- including the security threats posed by extremists and terrorists, and the ability of Iraqi forces to meet those threats -- would be key determinants in U.S. force levels."
That, my friends (as Senator McCain would say), is a flip flop. It is a major policy reversal. Saying "conditions on the ground" will determine when you start to bring troops home is an indefinite commitment, not a timeline with a goal for redeployment. And, McCain's lack of consistency or clarity of vision on Iraq is trickling down. I was on Hardball just a short time ago with Pete Hegseth, my counterpart and Iraq War veteran who runs Vets for Freedom.
Did you catch that? In one short segment, Pete took two positions on Iraq. He was against timelines at the beginning of the segment, but was OK with timelines at the end of the segment.
This is not the way to formulate policy on Iraq, and if in the White House, this kind of waffling on the major issue of our time from McCain would have disastrous consequences. When you send a signal to a foreign nation that you will leave their land when asked, you better do it, when asked. If not, you only bolster the notion that you are an occupier, and the idea that the only way to get rid of us is with deadly force.
John McCain's silence on the issue is severely troubling -- it's as if he doesn't know what to do now. His advisor saying McCain will stick to his guns -- Iraqi wishes be damned -- is a flip flop from his previous position. Combined, it is a very bleak and discouraging view of what a McCain administration would look like on what is, supposedly, his biggest strength.
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You must be kidding. McCain the Flip-Flopper?
Obama was going to get us out of Iraq win, lose, or draw immediately on becoming President. Now it is 18 months and when it is "responsible.'
McCain is the only candidate who has been right about the war all along. He supported the surge, which has snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. He will be the first to get us out of there and understands what he is doing. Why not? He is not a social worker, turned lawyer, who has served just a few years in the Senate of Illinois and the US Senate and thinks he knows everything.
Sen McCain will only be happy if he can manage to keep us engaged in a war. This is what he loves.
I have to thank Prime Minister Al-Maliki for taking charge of the affairs of his country.
Now we can start to bring our troops home.
This gives John McCain the opportunity to balance the budget in 2009; three years earlier than McCains goal of 2012. Wow, McCain...Don't blow it!
But didn't Barack Obama say last year " I want our troops out of Iraq". So, there is no excuse for Bush and McCain to keep our troops in Iraq.
Tell your Congressmen/women and Senators to start using the money they just appropriated to BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW.
OBAMA 08
Mc Cain loves war because he's been "milking" his Viet Nam experience for 30+ years. It's his only claim to fame! When Ross Perot said many years ago that he was nothing more than a political opportunist, he had it right. I am so tired of his hero worship of himself I could puke.
One of the appearent known unkowns in October of 2002 was that once Bush got us into Iraq there would be no way to create an exit strategy that wouldn't end in chaos and a propaganda defeat at the hands of the Islamo-fascist media The best we could ever hope for would be to adopt the Aiken program of declaring "we won" and skidaddling.
Obama is not the flip-flopper McCain has been
over the years! McCain didn't answer questions about
his voting record on Veterans issues, asked by a Vet.
He jokes about cigarettes maybe killing Iranians. He sings
about bombing Iran. And he says despite what Iraq wants
the US will leave only when conditions on the ground dictate
it. Well no way can we leave until Bush and Israel start the
Iran war!
SENATOR OBAMA IS A CUNNING, BUT CHARISMATIC, CHAMELEON. CLARITY CEASES TO BE A VIRTUE FOR OBAMA. HOWEVER, POLITICAL EXPEDIENCY IS A SYNONYM FOR FLIP-FLOPPER.
Let's see....Barry Obama-Slama went from "I want all troops out of Iraq by spring 2008..." to "I'll talk with the Generals and see what they have to say..."
Barak Obama sprinted from The Dutchess of Pelosi's position on the war to the exact same position as George W. Bush and this clown wants to use mental gymnastics to ignore the fact.
Why, oh why, does the Press & Media let McCain get away with so much? Are they all secretly paid by Fox News (the true brown-nosers of the media)? I am astounded that so much is "forgiven" or barely mentioned by the national press..... And letting Bush commit crimes with FISA.... why was there no hullabaloo on this? And the vote today where Finegold said 80% of Congress had NO idea about the bill. SAD SAD SAD!!! Can we even last til Jan 20?
Rosey, if you're lucky, Obama will continue committing crimes with FISA. Go Dem's.
This month Obama is more conservative than McCain.
Obamites.
Will you suggest warrentless wiretaping is a good amendment to the Democratic Platform?
How about the continuation and expansion of faith based schools, charities and hiring with your tax payer dollars?
Good stuff for democrats right? Sorry National Education Association. More money for Michael Pfleger and company.
We don't need no stinkin' election funding reform...this...year....
Gun control in DC or other big cities? Bad Idea. Hail to the NRA.
Why don't we dem's stand for expanding the death penalty? Obama likes it.
If the Leftwing Liberal Obamites don't find any problem with this you have less credibility than ever.
Down with Obama.
Super D's need to salvage our party, even if ceremonially by swinging the nomination to Hillary Clinton who is sincere, experienced and we can TRUST.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA...oh man this is hilarious. You STILL trying to get Hillary elected?
Let
it
go.
McCain gets called a flip flopper but when Obama does the same thing he is refining his stance. Come on, how stupid does the press think we are? Pretty dumb in my opinion. Obama and McCain are both going toward the middle as most Presidential nominees do. But I am a democrat and yet find McCain has more integrity...or is less a liar than the other guy. Can we still get the superdelegates to back Hillary? Or maybe a strong third party candidate other than Nader?
Nope. but hopefully you can still get your head out of your a$$ if you seriously think McCain has more integrity than Obama. Happen to catch McCain being grilled by a veteran at his town hall? Lied right to the guy's face.
Speaking of lying, have you forgotten Hillary's whoppers about Bosnia and Ireland? Not to mention her lies about her health care involvement...
Just admit you're in the tank for McCain. It saves everyone time and effort knocking down your smears.
A lack of information might cause someone to equate the actions of these two senators as equally wishy-washy. This is typical of news outlets like fox that like to pretend everything is balanced and has two polarities and ignore all the little mitigating details that change the entire picture. Mccain has voted against his own firmly, clearly stated convictions at least three times in the last two years to the detriment of more than one class of underrepresented people. Obama is guilty of this only recently and he has been very forthcoming about the reasons and has stated publicly that his fans may not agree with his decision. I certainly don't and think much less of Obama since this action. The desire for a third option is nice, but getting back to reality I'd suggest looking up the actual voting record of each candidate and then visit their websites and read about their stated policies. I have found in doing this that Obama is quite a bit more clear and consistent that mccain has ever been; particularly in recent days.
I saw the segment here in Huffs this morning. I was LOL at Pete. What a d... a... he was. Mr Hardball hardly addressed Jon and was more bent on getting Pete to answer him why the flip flop and the lies of the administration continue. The sad truth I fear is that come November nothing will really change. Those that ruin this country will continue in their pursuit for power and richness to sacrifice us all. The U.S have no plans of leaving Iraq, they never did. The war will continue for many years and will increment to include Iran as well as other Middle East ern countries. The U.S civilian population will continue being as much the losers as innocent civilians in those countries, while the masters of the world get richer and even more powerful.
Hare, Vote the incumbents out of office. That was done in PA. when FORMER Senator Rick Santorum ( a Bush Republican) lost to Senator Bob Casey, a Democrat.
At the moment, Senator Arlen Specter ( a Bush Republican ) is still in office but I will try to have him tossed out if he attempts to run again.
Take back your government by getting involved. We are very, very, fortunate that we can VOTE.
Voting is something that more Americans need to do more often.
I actually spent 12 hours of my time in the Pa. primary getting people to vote.
OOBAMA 08
The flip-flopper keeps moving with the wind. And when he doesn't flip, he just dissapears. He was nowhere to be found when there was the vote for FISA. He lacks the courage to vote one way or another. This my friends is lack of leadership.
When it comes to flipping it seems Obama has the lead. Still they all do it to get elected. It is who will be the better President that matters.
Well, that's cuz you don't have a clue what McCain's positions are. Cuz he doesn't know himself if he's coming or going.
Please, let us just have the courage to admit what we have for a presidential situation: Obama will get my vote as the better bet over McCain, because I am a Democrat. But Obama should be taken out to the woodshed by SOMEBODY, for gosh sakes. He has now shown that he will pander to anything, and stand by nothing. It was so predictable. What a pity that these are our choices, due to 18 million Democrats who got swept away in a media driven and overly prolonged moment of mantra............yes, CHAAAAAAANGE! Well, you've got your change now, and it is : ordinary. Pity.
Obama is top dog now. Nobody's taking him out to the woodshed unless it's us. Stop donating, first, (to punish him for his flip-flop on campaign finance reform), then, if he doesn't get the message, don't vote for him. Mind you, I'm not saying vote for McCain. Vote third-party. Its a risk, but the last 8 years have shown what allowing Democrats to move to the right does.
clab62--You righties should get out of you glass house.
Nice Try but Obama wanted a Timetable BEFORE the Surge worked while the enemy still waged intensive war. Now that McCain was right about the surge Maliki feels safe enough with his Iraqi Army to let US Troops leave soon. BECAUSE of the SURGE McCain supported and Obama did not, FLOPBAMA
*sigh* all together now...
The surge, by president Bush's own standards, has been a colossal failure. Just like the rest of his presidency. It didn't meet, nor will it ever meet, the benchmarks that the administration attached to it.
McCain hasn't been right about a damn thing on Iraq. Or domestic policies, either.
Its scary just how many gullible people there are in this country.Lord have mercy on us!! Anybody voting for the same BS that GWB has given us for the last 7and a half years is sick.McCain has flip flopped on every issuse you can think of and he has not been held accountable for none!!Andrea Mitchell makes me sick and I bet Tim Russert is turning over in his grave over the way MSNBC is covering this election! I guess they don't mind becoming the next Fox News for ratings.Somebody at MSNBC better wake up and soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Excuse me, but isn't the "news" media the biggest flip-flopper of all on the Iraq War?
But, yes, I agree: Both Senators McCain and Obama regularly renew George Bush's job insurance by voting for the war budget.
Let's give credit where credit is due. Some of the funding is for Veterans Benefits. The bottom line, though, would have vets driving Cadillacs! We just need to get the hell out of there.
Yes the "news" media is the biggest flip floppers. They were so afraid to question the administration because of appearing un-patriotic that they never even asked any questions.
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