McCain 100 Years in Iraq 1/3/2008

E.H.: I want to say at the outset I'm not going to be voting for you. I'm going to be voting in the Democratic primary in order to defeat the senator from new york, who I refer to as a Joe Lieberman Democrat. I have listened to Hillary Clinton say probably a hundred times that she will end the war and I've heard you say we can't leave Iraq. In both cases I think the devil's in the details. I looked at your Web site; I read everything on your web site today and I couldn't find any answers to my questions. What I would like to know is, I've heard you say a million times all the reasons why we can't leave Iraq. But I've never heard you say what it is you hope to accomplish in Iraq and how long it's going to take. Mr. McCain: Yes, sir, and thank you for coming tonight and thank you for your frankness and candor. ... This is the classic counterinsurgency we're engaged in right now. This is not a new strategy, General Petraeus has updated it, but the fact is it's a classic counterinsurgency. And you have to get areas under a secure environment and that secure environment then allows the economic political and social process to move forward. ... In case you missed it, on New Year's Eve, people were out in the streets in Baghdad by the thousands for the first time in years. That's because we provided them with a safe and secure environment. Is it totally safe? No. I talked earlier about the suicide bombs and the continued threats. And then what happens is American troops withdraw and they withdraw to bases and then they eventually withdraw, or we reach an arrangement like we have in South Korea, with Japan. We still have troops in Bosnia. But the fact is it's American casualties that the American people care about and those casualties are on the way down rather dramatically. And the option, and I'll say this again because you've got to consider the option. If we had withdrawn six months ago, I'd look you in the eye and tell you Al Queda would have said we beat the United States of America. If we'd gone along with Harry Reid and said the war was lost to Al Queda, then we would be fighting that battle all over the Middle East, and I am convinced of that and so is General Petraeus as well as others. So I can tell you that it's going to be long and hard and tough. I can tell you the option of defeat is incredible and horrendous. And I can tell you and look you in the eye and tell you that this strategy is succeeding. And what we care about is not American presence, we care about American casualties and those casualties I believe will be dramatically and continue to be reduced. Please follow up. E.H.: I do not believe that one U.S. soldier being killed almost every day is success. There were three U.S. soldiers killed today. I want to know how long are we going to be there? Are you are you ... Mr. McCain: How long do you want us to be in South Korea? How long do you want to be in Bosnia? E.H. There's no fighting going on in South Korea. Let's not talk about South Korea. Let's come back to Iraq. Mr. McCain: Thank you sir, and I can look you in the eye and tell you that those casualties tragically continue as I made very clear in my opening remarks. But they are much less and we will eventually eliminate them. And again the option of setting a date for withdrawal is a date for surrender and we would then have many more casualties and many more American sacrifice, if we withdraw with setting a date for surrender. Now you and I have an honest open disagreement, but I can tell you six months ago that people like you who believe like you said the surge would never succeed. And it is succeeding. And I've been there and I have seen it with my very own eyes. E.H.: President Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq for 50 years --- Mr. McCain: Maybe a hundred. We've been in South Korea, we've been in japan for 60 years. We've been in South Korea for 50 years or so. That'd be fine with me as long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed. Then it's fine with me, I hope it would be fine with you if we maintain a presence in a very volatile part of the world where Al Queda is training, recruiting, equipping and motivating people every single day.

[New York Times, 1/11/08, http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/20... ]

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  News & Politics

[amy1980marie]

Let go ahead and elect another War President with a chip on his shoulder...lets continue killing innocent Iraqi women and children and losing the lives of our own people. We don't even belong there...where is Bin Laden??? What are we fighting for? You see and read whats going on overseas and its heart wrenching. I sure hope no one comes here and treats my kids the way we have treated the children of Iraq. If McCain is elected God help us all..... I will move to Mexico or Canada OBAMA 2008!!!!!

[ImWilson1]

I know how to get rid of Al-Quada in Iraq. We should put Saddam Hussien in charge. He hates Al-Quada and killed many of al-quada. Oh wait we killed Saddam and opened Iraq for Al-Quada to move in. Sorry I forgot. Never mind.

[Steve Smith]

Lord anything that man says about foreign policy comes right out of his ass.

[miazagora]

@174JK50 Obama and the progressives have just continued the policies of Bush.  Both parties are warmongers. And it isn't the Christians that were an influence on the neocons - the neocons were allowed to influence the Christians.

[miazagora]

There were no attacks by suicide bombers in Iraq until we got there. McCain fails to mention that in his little diatribe.

[japeye62]

Fuck yeah! Let's carry on fighting for Peace, Freedom and Resources... Old droopy arms would've just been another Bush. Prick!!

[up2space]

is that a banana in his pants or has joe's cologne never smelled this good.

[youngbono18]

RON PAUL 2012!!!

[youngbono18]

Yeah... since Obama has kept his war promises... NOT!!!!

McCAin and Obama are slime

[Breetastic]

Hes sitting there talking to this man like a child. The reality is Mccain is SCUM. RON PAUL 2012

[Breetastic]

Amy your pres. Obama hasn't done shit for the Iraq war and has make the Afghan war even bigger. Get your passport ready.

[olsok7876]

mCain Is an amazing smart man. He should have been president