100 Years in a Country That Had Nothing to Do with 9/11...

Ouch!

Barack Obama's spokesman Bill Burton just sent out a release of his own reaction to John McCain's war-mongering criticism of Senator Obama that the latter has no experience in national security and warfare.

Well, frankly, I'm impressed with Burton on this one.

Here is Bill Burton's statement:

Barack Obama doesn't need any lectures from John McCain, who has consistently misunderstood American national security and the history of the Middle East in arguing for an invasion and 100-year occupation of a country that had nothing to do with 9/11.

Instead of spending trillions of dollars on permanent bases that the Iraqis don't want and that won't keep the American people safe, Barack Obama will end the war in Iraq and finally press Iraq's leaders to take responsibility for their future.

What a powerful and true line: John McCain is "arguing for an invasion and 100-year occupation of a country that had nothing to do with 9/11."

I do have concerns about Senator Obama's experience -- but completely agree that the arrogance about experience that both McCain and Clinton have shown and the resulting bad decisions is a really serious problem.

What we need from these camps is a bit of humility about the times and situation America finds itself in -- and a discussion about how experience is going to be requisitioned and deployed to deal with tomorrow's very real problems.

Burton is exactly right in pointing out over and over again that this strident war-mongering is focused on a nation that had nothing to do with 9/11.

-- Steve Clemons publishes the popular political blog, The Washington Note

Comments

[deminmo]

Whether Obama can handle the Iraq occupation, or
how he will do it, there is no way to know until he does
the job. Hopefully if he is the Democratic choice, he
will take campaign rhetoric and put it into effect.
Judging by other Presidents getting elected and actually
doing the right things for the country, and upholding the
Constitution, we can only hope.

[LeftRight]

"Barack Obama doesn't need any lectures from John McCain, who has consistently misunderstood American national security and the history of the Middle East in arguing for an invasion and 100-year occupation of a country that had nothing to do with 9/11.

Instead of spending trillions of dollars on permanent bases that the Iraqis don't want and that won't keep the American people safe, Barack Obama will end the war in Iraq and finally press Iraq's leaders to take responsibility for their future."

that sure sounded like a major "KA-SMACK!!!!" to me!!!!!!! You go Barack!

[chlllfactor]

I am so looking forward to the general election. McCain is set for the biggest and most unceremonious fall of his political life. Senator Obama will chip him into litle pieces!
Thank you for the article!

[MizJ]

I am a lifelong Democrat and happen to think that either Hillary or Obama would be fine with me. But if McCain gets to the Oval Office I will be weeping. The country does not need him or the neocons who surround him. To put it bluntly: this man is dangerous. He is too old, too intransient, too militaristic, and too deep into the pockets of the neocons. He will do and say anything to achieve his goal of being president and I seriously believe that he has plans for Iran which will only make a bad situation even worse. You judge a person as well as the company they keep and we need to carefully view those the agenda of those who are backing his candidacy. Lieberman is an Israeli tool and would love nothing better than to see us get even further into their conflict. Buyer beware.

[LeftRight]

THANK YOU! I've been so pissed at democrats who support one or the other saying that they will vote for McBush in November if their chosen candidate is NOT the nominee!

[oldpotsmuggler]

In a certain sense, this piece just seems to be one sided. And I say this as being on record as supporting an Obama Presidency.

McCain has moved so far to the right on Iraq that he leaves no room for anything less than complete, long term U.S. occupation of those unfortunate souls.

The two Senators, on the other hand, have each moved so far to the left that there is no longer any room to discern any appreciable difference between there respective positions.

[LeftRight]

OPS, as I've been saying elsewhere on this site, McBush and the rest of the neocons ARE extremely right. However, that's pulled the whole of Washington to the RIGHT, not to the left. Senator Obama is a centrist compared to the American people. Senator Clinton is slightly right, but no where NEAR as far as Senator McBush!

[oldpotsmuggler]

Yes, precisely so.

[DemandTruth]

If you're looking for differences, how about this: One candidate calls John McCain out for the ignorant warmonger fool that he is. The other candidate praises him constantly and assures us he's passed the "CINC threshold". One candidate had the judgement and foresight to oppose this war - and accurately predicted everything that would happen as a result of this war. The other candidate voted in lockstep for this war, and even after all the lies came out, and everything that's happened - voted to enable Bush to do it again to Iran.

How's that for some differences?

[SCharb]

Well, when I saw your name I was bracing myself for some anti-Obama rant, but I was caught offguard by the whole article. It was smart, a peace offering. It reminded me of all this party unity stuff. We're going to be agreeing with each other in a few months anyway. Why should we fight? Thanks for knocking some sense into me.

[PioneerKing]

McCain has been given a free pass by the media. McCain has been portrayed more favorably than the reality of his mien and manor.
What has McCain done since his return from Vietnam?
Up for debate are his involvement in the Keating 5 scandal, his decision to vote for YEA for the Iraq war, his recent comments about "being surprised about the chaos that has erupted in Iraq and his plan for dis-engaging in Iraq".
McCain is the candidate who has been the least intensively vetted. It is McCain's story that has been glossed over in semblance of a fairy tale rather than the reality it has been.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amb-marc-ginsberg/big-macs-blazing-saddle-_b_93643.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-fiderer/iraq-more-proof-that-the_b_94264.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-brock-and-paul-waldman/excerpt-from-free-ride_b_93576.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christy-hardin-smith/mccains-cronies-meet-c_b_94196.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-weigant/campaign-to-beat-mccain_b_94305.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/closing-the-message-gap-o_b_94074.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-rosen/where-did-mccain-get-what_b_93711.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gerald-mcentee/mccains-gaffe-in-the-mid_b_93751.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/31/john-mccain-surprised-b_n_94284.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/31/ap-iraqi-prime-minister-_n_94359.html

[grendl]

It'll drive the GOP nuts. No matter what they try to nail Barack on, or Hillary should her overthrow of democracy and all that is decent succeed, John McCain is locked in his thinking, and thus doomed as doomed can be.

Iraq doesn't know what we're doing in their country, save for lining the pockets of powerful clerics, and arming militias against each other. The key though really is to continually link Iraq to Viet Nam, because therein lies the root of McCain's mindset.

He thought our failure there was a military one. That's not the thinking of a world leader, that's the thinking of a grunt soldier told to take a hill and keep it, without ever questioning why. After all the enemy will just take the hill back tomorrow.

Because we have to leave someday, so any territory we secure in Iraq is temporary. Shiah militias, and Sunnis have to live there, forever and ever, just like the indigenous Viet Namese. They're all just riding the storm out, waiting for John Wayne to exhaust his bullets, scratch his head and mosey on back home.

Just ask McCain, over and over again, what constitutes victory in Iraq? He'll probably say the same thing that constituted victory in Nam, delivering democracy to a population that weren't ready for it. That's the thinking of a grunt.