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McCain: Had I won in 2000, Iraq War might not have happened
CNN's The Lead with Jake Tapper ^ | July 18, 2014 | Jake Tapper

Posted on 07/19/2014 10:25:52 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, made a surprising suggestion Thursday night: If he had been elected in 2000, there might not have been a war in Iraq.

The Vietnam veteran and former prisoner of war, who lost his race for the GOP nomination that year but went on to become his party’s nominee in 2008, made his comments in a far-reaching interview in CNN and National Journal’s “Politics On Tap” event, after this reporter asked him what would be different if he had won either in 2000 or 2008.

On 2008, McCain said “national security” would be different, and he delineated the many ways he would have done things differently from the victor, President Barack Obama. But when asked about 2000, McCain made the most surprising remarks. “You’ll find this surprising,” he said, “but I think I would’ve been more reluctant to commit American troops.”

(Excerpt) Read more at thelead.blogs.cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; Politics/Elections; US: Arizona
KEYWORDS: arizona; bush; iraq; johnmccain; mccain; revisionisthistory
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Neva happen, GI.

There was a REASON the primary voters did not flock to you in 2000, and it had nothing to do with warhawk or former prisoner status or anything like that. It went back to the “poor judgment” in the “Keating Five” case. While there was never a conviction of any of the Senators involved, still the tarnish was there, and being close personal friends with Charles Keating, who took down the Lincoln Savings and Loan Association of Irvine, California, proved to be an indelible blot.


21 posted on 07/19/2014 10:50:32 AM PDT by alloysteel (Most people become who they promised they would never be.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
McCain: Had I won in 2000, Iraq War might not have happened

McCain: Had I won in 2000, Iraq War might still have happened

These have exactly the same meaning...

I'm so tired of this soiled freak and his blow-hard 'old faithful' characteristics...

22 posted on 07/19/2014 10:51:17 AM PDT by DoughtyOne (Think how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are stupider than that.)
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To: cripplecreek

Tough, smart and a thoroughly decent man.

I wish I lived in a country that could elect such a man again.


23 posted on 07/19/2014 10:57:15 AM PDT by WhistlingPastTheGraveyard (The greatest trick the Soviets ever pulled was convincing the world they didn't exist.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

had he won in 2000......America would now be speaking spanish almost exclusively!!


24 posted on 07/19/2014 10:57:17 AM PDT by MeshugeMikey ( "Never, never, never give up". Winston Churchill ...)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

If Johnny had his way we’d all be speaking Arabic.


25 posted on 07/19/2014 11:11:02 AM PDT by BuffaloJack (Unarmed people cannot defend themselves. America is no longer a Free Country.)
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To: cripplecreek

He is plum plain crazy. Nuff said.


26 posted on 07/19/2014 11:13:39 AM PDT by dforest
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

How did CNN get an exclusive interview like McCain? (snark)


27 posted on 07/19/2014 11:14:34 AM PDT by BookmanTheJanitor
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

McCain is likely right. I would’ve preferred him to Obama, that is for sure.


28 posted on 07/19/2014 11:17:06 AM PDT by Beowulf9
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

FU McAmnesty, you worthless DemocRat.


29 posted on 07/19/2014 11:28:24 AM PDT by VRWC For Truth (Roberts has perverted the Constitution)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Shame on him...


30 posted on 07/19/2014 11:29:43 AM PDT by novemberslady
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To: svcw

Too bad Bush didn’t ignore Clinton and the UN.

The winners from the US invasion of Iraq:
1) Iran. Saddam was their enemy. We toppled him and installed a shia gov’t led by longtime friends of Iran, and today Iraq is Iran’s closest ally.

2) China. The Iraq war cost the US more than $1 trillion. We didn’t have the money, with our debt already in the tens of trillions, so we borrowed from China - and printed dollars thru the federal reserve.

3) Islamic Christian-haters. With Saddam’s brutal, heavy hand removed, the Islamist he had repressed started running free across the country - with shias and sunnis killing each other, and jihadists from all factions ganging up against Iraqi’s Christians. Churches were destroyed and Christians were killed or driven out en masse.

By the way, I don’t remember John McCain opposing the invasion of Iraq, so I’m not sure what he’s saying now; doesn’t make sense - but that’s not unusual for him


31 posted on 07/19/2014 11:38:26 AM PDT by WilliamIII
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To: Beowulf9

“I would have preferred him to Obama”

But he’s talking about the difference between him and Bush - i.e., the 2000 election. He says he wouldn’t have done what Bush did, and invade Iraq.

Funny, why didn’t he say so at the time? I don’t remember him opposing Bush’’s invasion.


32 posted on 07/19/2014 11:41:56 AM PDT by WilliamIII
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To: WilliamIII

He voted for it twice.


33 posted on 07/19/2014 11:42:31 AM PDT by svcw (Not 'hope and change' but 'dopes in chains')
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

We haven’t properly fought a war since WWII.

When you go to war you must be prepared to accept nothing but total victory. You don’t seek “hearts and minds.”

War is vicious, brutal and bloody business. You only go to war when you absolutely must. When you are forced to go to war you must execute war in such a way to secure complete victory as quickly as possible. Anything less increases suffering and is inhumane.


34 posted on 07/19/2014 11:43:01 AM PDT by Rides_A_Red_Horse (Why do you need a fire extinguisher when you can call the fire department?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

He sure wants to get troops involved now...all over the world! He wants troops in the Ukraine.


35 posted on 07/19/2014 11:51:51 AM PDT by VerySadAmerican (Liberals were raised by women or wimps. And they're all stupid.)
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To: Beowulf9
I would’ve preferred [McCain] to Obama, that is for sure.

This is true ... then again, I'd prefer the guy on the Quaker Oats box over the Empty Suit.
36 posted on 07/19/2014 11:55:25 AM PDT by Category Four (Joy, Fun, the Joke Proper, and Flippancy ... Flippancy is the best of all.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

And we’d all be picking lettuce for $50 an hour.


37 posted on 07/19/2014 12:10:11 PM PDT by TigersEye ("No man left behind" means something different to 0bama.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Here’s a map of all the countries McCain wants to bomb:

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/09/john-mccain-world-attack-map-syria


38 posted on 07/19/2014 12:11:42 PM PDT by Buck-I-Guy
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To: All
Perhaps McCain is thinking we would have been too mired in a war with Serbia to get involved in Iraq.

John McCain armed Kosovo Islamic terrorists

John McCain armed the KLA, Politika

Group tied to al-Qaida backs McCain for prez

39 posted on 07/19/2014 12:17:27 PM PDT by TigersEye ("No man left behind" means something different to 0bama.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

IMO - Had the Bush not taken out Iraq as he did, the Caliphate would now be fully established throughout the ME Saddam was a powerful enabler of the radical Islamic forces.


40 posted on 07/19/2014 12:24:14 PM PDT by elpadre (AfganistaMr Obama said the goal was to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-hereQaeda" and its allies.)
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