McCain explains 100 years in Iraq comment
Rocky River, OH — Continuing to take heat from Democrats for saying last month that “he would be fine” if the U.S. remained in Iraq for 100 years or longer, Sen. John McCain tried again Monday to clarify his statement.
“My friends, the war will be over soon. The war for all intents and purposes, although the insurgency will go on for years and years and years. But it’ll be handled by the Iraqis not by us. And then we decide what kind of security arrangement we want to have with the Iraqis,” McCain told a town hall meeting in the Buckeye State this morning.
His latest remarks come in response to repeated attempts by Sen. Barack Obama and other Democrats to argue that McCain supports maintaining troops for a 100 year war in Iraq. Instead, McCain has repeatedly said on the trail during the past few weeks that he is talking about a long-term post-war military presence similar to the ones the U.S. has with South Korea, Japan and Germany–where the U.S. has maintained troops for more than 50 years.
- See his 100 years remarks (here)
- He also discussed a 1,000-10,000 year commitment in a January CBS News interview (here)
“You might know that we have major base in Kuwait because the first the gulf war, after we won, we had a base arrangement with the Kuwaitis. In Korea we’ve had as you know, ever since the Korean war we’ve had a military presence in South Korea,” McCain said. “So my Democrat friends like to distort that comment, but the fact is that…every single day (the situation) is improving and we take American young men and women out of harms way.”
McCain’s remarks also come as a group of anti-Iraq war orgs (MoveOn.org, Americans United for Change, and VoteVets.org) announced plans on a conference call today for a multi-million dollar ad campaign to target McCain.
“From now through the election, every second we get we will continue to hold him accountable for his failed policies,” said VoteVets.org Chairman Jon Soltz.
The groups have launched a new ad featuring a female Iraq veteran, Rose Forrest, holding her infant son and asking whether McCain if he is making a similar “commitment” to her child. (script after jump)
Script: “John McCain said that it would be okay with him if the US spent the next thousand years in Iraq. A thousand years? That’s some commitment to the Iraqi people, Senator McCain.”
“This is my little boy. He was born after I came back from Iraq. What commitment are you making to him? How about a thousand years of affordable health care? Or a thousand years of keeping America safe? Can we afford that for my child, Senator McCain? Or have you already promised to spend trillions of our dollars… in Baghdad?
Tags: 100 years, Democrats, Iraq, john mccain, moveon.org, votevets
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We’re still in Bosnia, Korea, Germany. We could always pull out and become another Vietnam and the genocide that happened after we cowardly pulled out.
McCain has the problem that he is trying to speak sensibly to a mob. The antiwar rhetoric on Iraq has grown so out of control that sensibility gets lost in the roar of the lemmings.
McLame is a joke. If you disagree with me then you go to Iraq.
attention REPUBLICANS WE NEED MIKE HUCKABEE. MCCAIN HAS LOST IT
If Huck is President, the “crusades” will begin again. I don’t want that to happen. McCain all the way.
Or a thousand years of keeping America safe?
We’ll never be safe if we leave Iraq prematurely.
Slate’s artical on Obama states that he is an ENFP . The N is prone to clinical paranoia , since this is irrational . ENFPs will pick things up off the floor and put it in his mouth . Obama even blew his nose last week at a rally sharing it with all . ENFPs are not afraid of germs .
The war will be over soon. HaHaHaHa. He be promising a pullout pretty soon. Whatever it takes Johnny! Next he’ll have to define SOON and then he’ll chose Liberalman for VP and then write off the declining conservative wing. Who knows, as limped dick as the conservatives (I wouldn’t vote for McCain, I’d rather vote for Hillary, Let the Democrats win and it won’t be on Us & on & on &on & on.) have been, maybe it’s a good thing to close the wing down. Just a bunch of old obstructionist anyway. Who said that? Guess, his initials are John McCain.
Hrump!! We wouldn’t touch him with a ten foot pole! er…We mean he’s our man.
I’m not caving he’ll never get my vote!
I don’t think McCain understands or comprehends what General George S. Patton once wrote:
“To be a successful soldier you must know history. Read it objectively—dates and even the minute details of tactics are useless. What you must know is how man reacts. Weapons change but man who uses them changes not at all. To win battles you do not beat weapons you beat the soul of man of the enemy man. To do that you have to destroy his weapons but that is only incidental…”
Mike Huckabee would be the best Commander in Chief because he seems to have a better understanding of the soul and hearts of man.
I respect McCain, but I don’t believe he has the tact to deal with Iraq in the right way.
I mean, how do you kill an ideology? There is got to be a better approach.
Where to start? There are two sides to a society and two general types of people in a society. First, there is the intellectual side providing ideas, inventing, expanding our knowledge, providing hope and so on. Then there is the violent side. The side that buries societies, burns libraries, blows up buildings and so on. Of the two general types of people, you have intellectuals and the brutes. Intellectuals tend to be cowardous and unwilling to protect themselves, whereas brutes tend to not think before they act. Each part of society has both types of people. This is a mere generalization, reality is there is quite a bit of overlap. But I wish to illustrate the following.
The intellectual side powered by thought is protected by good natured brutes that will do what they need to protect what they have and what the intellectuals have. They do this because they want to. They do this because they want to personally ensure freedom for their children. They do this out of duty; out of love of country; out of love and protection of the the most important intangibles – liberty and freedom.
The intellectual side of society needs these brutes because there are bad guys in the world. Osama Bin Laden and his like are intellectuals. They have yet to spend a second fighting on the front line – they are cowards. These guys are surrounded by brutes. Brutes who will die for their cause – the cause of global chaos. These brutes run planes into buildings. They do not fight for any ideal except what they are promised after death. In the past, these were kamikazes in Japan. Now we have Jihadists blowing up cars, building and people. There are no ideals to be realized in their world. No advancement of knowledge; no inventions; nothing. Nothing except oppression, fear and death.
We are at a crossroads right now. Do we let our Brutes fight to protect all of our way of life, or do we let their brutes bring upon the death that causes their world to come into being? We no more can have a world ruled by brutes as we can have a world ruled by intellectuals. We need both to make society last – to be strong. We need both dedicated to the intangibles – both dedicated to not only advancing, but also protecting that society. In a free society both can work well together in peace.
If the violent side of our society wins, the world falls to the brutes. As in the past, we will fall into another dark age. The brutes will find no reason to protect their intellectuals and the Osama Bin Ladens will be killed along those who would protect the world from the brute forces. There will be no advancement – only stagnation. Technology we currently take advantage of will wear and not be replaced.
The intellectuals have no chance at total control. Evil men lurk in every corner. When the right time arises they will rise and quickly replace the weak cowardous intellectuals – irregardless of those intellectual’s good intent. As a result the world falls to the brutes - into chaos - into darkness.
The only way a society can survive is if good hearted brutes in an equal partnership with well intent intellectuals advance and protect that society. We need to be willing to fight every battle to keep the evil leaning intellectuals and their brutes in the darkness. Every time they come out to do their damage, we need to fight them off. We need to keep them weak.
A lot of times, intellectuals see human kind “evolving” into something where war and hatred become something of the past. Reality says that evil men will always keep us away from that ideal. We are human, seekers of the ideal – but never recipients. If we can accept this condition and coexist in a way to get ever closer to that ideal – maybe one day we may get enough of it to finally achieve some larger peace. I’ve always taken the story of Adam and Eve as a metaphor of this human condition. Right at the beginning of recorded history, we people recognized that we are not of the realm of omnipotence, but something far less. The people of the time recognized that they could not ever achieve a God like intellect. They recognized their mortality. Considering the massive amounts of advancements we’ve made since then, we no longer see our mortality - our fragile society. It’s here now, tomorrow it could be all gone in one act.
To you intellectuals, I want you to continue seeking ideals, but I beg you, see the values of the good hearted brutes we have willing to protect us in our pursuits. And to you good hearted brutes, brave men and women who protect your children, your future and your society from collapse, I say thank you.
[...] launched an ad today attacking McCain’s support for the war in Iraq and questioning his commitment to domestic [...]
http://www.usvetdsp.com/nov07/mccain_deceit.htm
TEXAS FOR HUCKABEE IN 2008!!!!!
If anyone knows about war I think Mccain does, he was a POW and served our country with honor. Barack Hussein Obama and Hillary have no idea how to protect this country. Barack Hussein Obama won’t even wear a flag lapel pin and people expect him to lead our country into the future. Barack’s wife isn’t even proud of the United States unless her husband is winning delagates. Wake up people……
WOW, the left is misrepresenting your words?? that’s just karma coming back to bite you in the BUTT! After how you treated Mitt Romney, do you expect anything less?
“Of the two general types of people, you have intellectuals and the brutes. Intellectuals tend to be cowardous and unwilling to protect themselves, whereas brutes tend to not think before they act. ”
Courage and intellegence are not mutually exclusive. To take a stand against a foe that may result in your own self destruction requires either insanity or love. Love of friends, family, or ideals that one sees as greater than themselves. To risk life and limb for something as abstract as an ideal is certainly a mark of intellegence as well as courage. Strangely, this line of thought has lead me to think of John McCain. Maybe not an intellectual in the classic sence but maybe more intellegent than some would give him credit for.
The trurth of the matter whether or not the democrats like it is that we will be in Iraq for a good many years to come. Old Obama and Sir Hillary can say whatever they want the democratic fools but they both attend the same national security meetings. They love to lie about how quick they will pull troops out but it all for not. There are security agreements that we will be bound by for a long time. For all you Huckaberries stop whining, this election is already over for you.
DanN,
I think your right. I was oversimplifying a difficult concept for some to get. There is a lot of overlap in those who have intellect and those who are brutes. However, the intellects in Berkley, CA are not brutes and would not defend this nation if it were under attack. They would sooner give it over to the ill willed with hopes that they could join the ranks of the intellects on the other side. Of course, when asked, these cowards would be the first in line to point a finger at the military for not taking action. Of course, their military would be nonexistent if they had their utopian way.
Though, not exactly a fan of McCain’s, I do think he is a brutish intellect. Heavy on the brute, lighter on the intellect. Bush is somewhat like this as well - however, I suspect history will show him to be a bit more intelligent then we all give him credit for. Regan, though soft-spoken is also in this class. I think this class makes for good leaders. They often surround themselves with very intelligent people - but are willing to make the hard calls on their own. McCain offers the most promise in the current group of contenders.
Bill Clinton is very high on intellect, but not very brutish. He often finds himself in lofty perches unwilling to act. Having a high image of himself, he surrounds himself with people who make him look good - or otherwise idiots. Obama will be very much like this I think.
Hillary on the other hand is a brute in every aspect. She offers little in intellect. She often lashes out with irrational tendencies. Of the group of contenders, she will make the weakest candidate.
McCain, in my simplistic model will provide consistency in the world arena - most capable of protecting liberty, justice and the American way. Obama would be the most likely to hand it over if pressured. Hillary would plunge the world in chaos as she goes on the offensive to declare her position in the world.
[...] has tried to explain his 100 years remark by saying that “the war will be over soon“: …Although the insurgency will go on for years and years and years. But it’ll be [...]
[...] factcheck.org gives more merit to McCain’s argument, the presumptive has still had to repeatedly explain what he meant while on the trail. Today he provided the context as a side to a main course of [...]
Don’t you guys get it. There will be peace in the middle east within a year and then we can stay there for 100 years without taking casualties. Also according to the congressional budget office, that kind of occupation would only cost $3,000,000,000,000. That sounds like a lot, but the shortfall in social security is $4,000,000,000,000.