McCain : Bringing Troops Home From Iraq "Not Too Important"

bryn_cmbs

Video:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/11/mccain-iraq-comments-brin_n_106468.html

slightofjeff

Did anyone actually watch the clip? Or are we just going by how the Huffington Post spins it?

What he is saying here is exactly what he has been saying for months: It doesn't matter how long we have a troops presence in Iraq, so long as we aren't taking casualties. He is promoting a stabilizing military presence in Iraq for years to come, not an active hot war. In the clip, he even mentions Germany and South Korea again.

You can disagree with his premise, fine. But if one acts like McCain is some war-monger who is hoping to continue fighting for another 100 years, you either A) are being completely disingenuous; or lack basic comprehension skills.

I'm no McCain fan, but the way the left takes his words out of context and spins them is absolutely stunning.

I know it works both ways in a presidential election, but it's becoming sickening.

blackredyellow

slightofjeff wrote:

Did anyone actually watch the clip? Or are we just going by how the Huffington Post spins it?

What he is saying here is exactly what he has been saying for months: It doesn't matter how long we have a troops presence in Iraq, so long as we aren't taking casualties. He is promoting a stabilizing military presence in Iraq for years to come, not an active hot war. In the clip, he even mentions Germany and South Korea again.

You can disagree with his premise, fine. But if one acts like McCain is some war-monger who is hoping to continue fighting for another 100 years, you either A) are being completely disingenuous; or lack basic comprehension skills.

I'm no McCain fan, but the way the left takes his words out of context and spins them is absolutely stunning.

I know it works both ways in a presidential election, but it's becoming sickening.

I tend to agree... the one thing I hate more than the ridiculous pandering and photo-ops during election season, is the news media blowing out of context sound-bytes way out of proportion, and spinning them for either political gain or just shock value.

That being said, McCain has proven again and again that he will stick his foot in his mouth, or just mis-speak a lot, and I think that will cause a lot of headaches for his campaign.

slightofjeff

blackredyellow wrote:

That being said, McCain has proven again and again that he will stick his foot in his mouth, or just mis-speak a lot, and I think that will cause a lot of headaches for his campaign.

I don't even think this is an example of that. He said exactly what he meant to say. The only way it is completely shocking is if you don't bother to listen to the whole quote, or if you cut him off in midsentence.

RainDog

slightofjeff wrote:

I'm no McCain fan, but the way the left takes his words out of context and spins them is absolutely stunning.

You were a big John Kerry defender in 2004, weren't you?

blackredyellow

slightofjeff wrote:

I don't even think this is an example of that. He said exactly what he meant to say. The only way it is completely shocking is if you don't bother to listen to the whole quote, or if you cut him off in midsentence.

He might have said what he wanted to say, but he has to pay more attention to how he phrases things... In the world of soundbytes, you can't say that "It not too important" when the troops come home, without expecting what exactly happened.

slightofjeff

blackredyellow wrote:

He might have said what he wanted to say, but he has to pay more attention to how he phrases things... In the world of soundbytes, you can't say that "It not too important" when the troops come home, without expecting what exactly happened.

I guess, but Jesus, you could drive yourself nuts wondering how what you're about to say might be misinterpreted.

noodles_jefferson

slightofjeff wrote:

Did anyone actually watch the clip? Or are we just going by how the Huffington Post spins it?

What he is saying here is exactly what he has been saying for months: It doesn't matter how long we have a troops presence in Iraq, so long as we aren't taking casualties. He is promoting a stabilizing military presence in Iraq for years to come, not an active hot war. In the clip, he even mentions Germany and South Korea again.

but we are taking casualties. And Germany doesn't compare. there wasn't an ongoing insurgency happening after the war ended. and that was a just war, this is not. it's not even a war anymore, it's just an occupation of a country that DID NOT ATTACK US to the detriment of our own economy. If he's such a stand-up guy then why did he oppose the GI bill calling it "too generous"? and how can he justify keeping this "war" going, and also hinting toward bombing iran, all the while keeping the Bush tax cuts permanent. how does he paln to pay for all of this and keep out economy from collapsing? keep borrowing from the Chinese?

slightofjeff

noodles_jefferson wrote:

but we are taking casualties. And Germany doesn't compare. there wasn't an ongoing insurgency happening after the war ended. and that was a just war, this is not. it's not even a war anymore, it's just an occupation of a country that DID NOT ATTACK US to the detriment of our own economy. If he's such a stand-up guy then why did he oppose the GI bill calling it "too generous"? and how can he justify keeping this "war" going, and also hinting toward bombing iran, all the while keeping the Bush tax cuts permanent. how does he paln to pay for all of this and keep out economy from collapsing? keep borrowing from the Chinese?

Like I said, feel free to argue with McCain's actual premise.

But saying that he's a war-mongering monster who *hopes* we're in Iraq for 100 years is completely disingenuous, and a gross distortion of what he's been saying.

If I did a search, I could probably find 100 posts on this site that refer to McCain as the "100 years of war" guy -- and that's not what he said at all.