Stephanopoulos Hits McCain for Holding US Troops Hostage to Iraqi Politicians

Say what you may about Stephanopoulos's performance at the Democratic debates, he hit the nail that may eventually seal the coffin of John McCain's presidential ambitions: "Don't your standards make American troops hostage to Iraqi politicians?" he asked him on This Week

McCain babbled a non-answer, but his war policy contains an unanswerable dilemma. Achieving the conditions that McCain says determine our leaving depends not on the US military, but on Iraqi politicians' reconciliation. As indicated in "McCainaanites: We Surrender US Sovereignty to Iraqi Politicians", April 10, 2008, success of the Bush/McCain policy as they themselves define it is based upon what everyone agrees is the only way to achieve it -- resolving centuries' long differences by the Iraqi factions and political leaders.

Our sons, daughters, moms and dads, brothers and sisters, are being kept in Iraq by a cynical policy not only with no end in sight, but also one that our forces cannot ultimately resolve, and instead depends upon the actions of Iraqi factions and political leaders. Twelve (12) billion ($12B) of our tax dollars are being spent every MONTH, just waiting and waiting for others to act.

That's a surrender of our national sovereignty.

And, here's something the rest of us know, but may be a surprise for the McCainaanites: Iraqi political leaders do what they perceive to be in THEIR own interests, not because it may help the US. Our so-called political leaders live in a parallel universe, seeing events in Iraq from a US prism, and keep our brave troops in harms' way to serve their own vanity, and for McCain, his Presidential ambitions.

Or, in case that is too nuanced, try this: Iraqi politicians don't give a shit about doing what fosters US interests.

Stephanopoulos is the first in the mainstream media to understand that key fallacy of the Bush/Cheney/McCain policy, and to put the question to its chief protagonist.

Let us give Stephanopoulos credit for getting to the crux of McCain's ultimate unelectability.

And, let us press McCain from now to November to tell the American people how his Iraq War policy is not a hostage to the decisions of Iraqi politicians, and why it is he has surrendered our national sovereignty to a foreign power.

Comments

[Binx101]

GT decided to do something to neutralize being caught on the telephone and taking notes from Sean Hannity from the great "Truth in Broadcasting Center of Murdochian Tablioid Info-Tainment Ministry" The debate was a wasted opportunity and an abysmal failure. Charles Gibson's hands are all over that one too... big time.

GT will act as quickly as he can to rectify his terrible performance with CG in talking smack for an hour before any real issues.

We also commented last week. http://binx101.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/debate-or-da-bait-abc-news-goes-springer/

Binx101
The Almost Daily Binx
www.binx101.wordpress.com

[Binx101]

GT=GS ... sorry ... just tired of writing his name and ... just tired.

[RickO]

Next time McCain mentions the word "surrender", the next question should be, you mean surrendering to the dysfunctional Iraqi government?

When you "surrender", you place your destiny in the hands of whomever you surrender to and typically become a captive until you are released or...not. When you return home from a war (regardless of the outcome) you regain control of your own destiny.

This use of the word "surrender" to characterize those who want to end the war should be turned right back at McCain.

[Bulbul]

Actually the debate was conducted great, as Dowd pointed out, the questions were very predictable but Obama was not ready to answer them. Same, with the interview with McCain, was what you have just mentioned.
As Sam Donaldson pointed out there...don`t shoot the mesenger, just answer them and move on....

[teacupsnpots]

Finally Mr. Stephanopoulos is getting it right both by being more objective - "attacking" McCain as well as Obama and being inciteful by putting forward a question which hasn't been phrased in that clear way before.

The writer, Mr. Abrams, is correct in pointing out that the Stephanopoulos question as a potential Achille's heel for the open ended military presence policy that McCain and neo-Cons have posited.

An aside question I have asked 10 million times is what the devil are we still in Europe for? In the days of the Marshall Plan - OK but why now? Why is all that money being wasted there. They all have universal health coverage of some sort, and we don't so why do we have to give them money?

[Wilbur]

This is silly. G.S. makes one sound statement after YEARS of vapid, asinine comments and interviews, and HE is going to sink John McCain? Dollars to doughnuts that within two weeks he'll be licking McCain's butt eight ways to Sunday.

Did G.S. ask McCain where Vickie Iseman is?

Wilbur

[DMcD]

Nice try but , its too late George ----- you already destroyed your reputation , with the debate debacle. Still , we may (just , may) forgive you "if" you stay out of the toilet and continue to make life tough for these war-mongering morally and legally corrupt slimeballs that rule our country.

[aznurse]

I want to see him ask tough questions to Hillary.
I just hope she doesnt pee herself when she starts laughing. (thats been her first response)

[SLal]

When he's asking tough questions against Obama, George is heckled as a joke and considered as not worthy of his paycheck. However, when he is asking tough questions about McCain , he's doing a good job as a reporter.

How can such a vocal portion of the educated democratic base speak from their reptilian brain rather than to try to maintain more objectivity? This isn't high school sports - it's intended to be a bit of an intellectual exercise, no? Everyone should try to do what they can to raise the level of dialogue, and the petty and public wound-licking and name calling will not help to do so.

[SkimaskBob]

look at the actual questions: War/Foreign affairs policy versus guilt by association or bogus patriotism ... hence the outrage.

[fedupwiththis]

Because we are completely fed up with tolerating the fairy tales promoted as policy by the likes of you. All of a sudden you want to talk in nuanced tones. Carefully consider our opinion over a nice Claret, no doubt. The right has has this country by the nads for thirty years and the rest of us are fed up. It would be fine if you could actually accomplish something beyond making the rich richer but you have demonstrated time and time again that you cannot.
As Martin Luther King so sagely said, "those who make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable." Whichever way this turns out, you right wing clowns have a rough ride ahead.

[apoyo]

George will never be forgiven.

[hillarysupporter]

Stephanopolous is by far the most astute political journalist; he asks questions that other journalists
don't ask.

[Grrr]

Excellent piece. Is anyone at the DNC reading this?? Should be a TV commercial NOW. When are all the guys I been sending money too gonna start kicking the crap outta Mc Lame???

[SShaw490]

Great point by Paul and Stephanopolis. So at the end of the day, the US sends so many troops to Iraq that we can't support our own national interests in Afghanistan, get a lot of them killed, and spend $12 billion taxpayer dollars a month in the vauge hope that, somewhere along the line, the Iraqi politicians' interest might somehow align themselves with our conditions for getting out of there, with no mechanism to make that happen. In fact, our presence might make the Iraqi politicians even LESS likely to create the conditions for us to leave, since we're spending money and massive effort to provide security for them, which they then don't have to provide for themselves.

We've given Iraq enough help. If they can't cure their own societal ills, then neither can we.

[GeorgeP922]

That doesn't mean Stephanapolous is forgiven.

He is burned into the history of the world's most egregious journalist and political shill.

He crossed a line that night, once you are in Karl Rove's pocket there is no getting out.

Also isn't it funny that almost every heavy hitter form Bill Clintons machine have all turned out to be traitors to the Democratic Party.
Carville
Dick Morris
Stephanapolous
Lanny Davis

I mean James Carville spied on the DNC for the RNC during the 2006 election.
Do we want a future generation of hacks from his wife, we already had enough of Mark Penn.

[apoyo]

What a Judas! (the raging maniac carville)

[PADDYWHACK]

You moaners and bedwetters all make me sick,we're fighting for Bush and Cheney's retirement package and place in history.No sacrifice is too great,I'm going to have another beer before I throw up.

[demdekalb]

huh?

[argeec]

Yeah, but what about Hagee, Falwell and Robertson - and does he think the Catholic church is really a whore?

[grendl]

Exactly.

Because we never entered Iraq with the newfound goal of ending sectarian diviseness, but rather to find, WMD, a.k.a. rid the country of Saddam's tyranny, a.k.a. bring democracy to the Middle East. a.k.a.
kill a bunch of Muslims for 911 despite their clear uninvolvement in it, we are now at the mercy of the Iraqi people.

We're arming them, and paying them money not to fight ( how bizarre is that, maybe we should've written Hitler a check ) and they play them game, calling temporary truces so that Petraeus can claim the surge is working, only to call them off when the other side gets restless of playing possum.

It's a sand trap we're in. And McCain can't even decipher Sunni backed Al Qaeda from Iran Shia. If the two donkeys we'ren't braying so loudly at each other, and ripping each other to shreds they might be jumping all over this. But alas, Hillary's still hell bent on annihilating the man who had the audacity to beat her in Iowa.

Thing is, the GOP is going to straighten McCain out eventually, and if he ever does get his shit together on the one issue which is supposed to be his strong suit, it might be too late for the Democratic Party to capitalize on it.

[lisakaz2]

Hitler wouldn't have taken a check. He wanted the land. And wanted to kill those on it who weren't Aryans.

[RedDogBear]

Talk about blame the victim. So let me get this straight. We invaded Iraq on a completely invented premise that turned out to be false. We have been there for several years and have no time table or even bench marks for when we are leaving in spite of the fact that all polls show that the vast majority of Iraqis want us out and even their president has said we should start to leave. Our troops and contractors are not subject to Iraqi laws and regularly detain, kill, torture, and rape with impugnity. And WE are surrendering OUR national sovereignty? Such Chutzpah these Americans have.

[PaulAbrams]

This is not "blaming" the Iraqis, they are doing what they do, as we would do.
The point is to depend on them to make the conditions suitable for McCain to withdraw troops is a surrender of our sovereignty, which is the ability to control your own destiny.
Yes, the Iraqis have lost their sovereignty as well by allowing US forces to remain.
But, McCain is not running for President of Iraq.
McCain's strategy for the US in Iraq is surrender of our sovereignty. He holds our troops hostage to the conditions the Iraqi politicians determine.

[syllepsis]

This is the irreducible truth of our involvement in Iraq, and explains why no meaningful justification can be given for it: Because we are not fighting for our own interests, and never have been.

[lisakaz2]

Nope. Halliburton and Exxon/Mobil are not "our" interests.