McWhacked is a lying POS!
Posted on 08/22/2006 5:43:12 PM PDT by markomalley
Republican Sen. John McCain, a staunch defender of the Iraq war, on Tuesday faulted the Bush administration for misleading Americans into believing the conflict would be "some kind of day at the beach."
The potential 2008 presidential candidate, who a day earlier had rejected calls for withdrawing U.S. forces, said the administration had failed to make clear the challenges facing the military.
"I think one of the biggest mistakes we made was underestimating the size of the task and the sacrifices that would be required," McCain said. "Stuff happens, mission accomplished, last throes, a few dead-enders. I'm just more familiar with those statements than anyone else because it grieves me so much that we had not told the American people how tough and difficult this task would be."
Those phrases are closely associated with top members of the Bush administration, including the president.
Bush stood below a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished" on May 1, 2003 after the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime. The war has continued since then, with the death of more than 2,600 members of the U.S. military. Vice President Dick Cheney said last year that the Iraqi insurgency was "in its final throes."
The Arizona senator said that talk "has contributed enormously to the frustration that Americans feel today because they were led to believe this could be some kind of day at the beach, which many of us fully understood from the beginning would be a very, very difficult undertaking."
McCain was campaigning for Republican Sen. Mike DeWine, who faces a tough fight in his re-election bid against Democratic challenger Rep. Sherrod Brown. Ohio was decisive in the 2004 presidential election, ensuring Bush's win, and is certain to be critical in 2008.
Senate Democrats, meanwhile, said Tuesday that the best way to encourage Iraqis to get their political house in order is to begin a phased withdrawal from Iraq by the end of this year. Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said the longer the U.S. stays the course in Iraq, "the weaker we're going to be in the war on terrorism."
Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he was glad to hear McCain has realized "we need more than tough talk" on Iraq.
"It's time we win the war on terror," said Reid. "To do that we must change the course in Iraq."
On Monday, McCain said at an appearance in suburban Cleveland that if U.S. troops announce a specific date to leave Iraq, insurgents will bide their time until they have an opportunity to act without interference.
"The chaos that would ensue would have direct implications for our national security," McCain said.
DeWine said Congress would not have had the chance to authorize the war if the intelligence on Iraq's military capability and intentions were accurate.
"It would never have come up for a vote so it would have been an entirely different situation," he said.
When did W say this was going to be a cake walk?
Typical Armchair Quarterback.
WHAT?????
Is he crazy or somethin' Lucy? At no time did the President even hint such a thing. Shame on you MClame!
Yes, I think he is crazy. And, several other unprintable things.
Predictable, this POS is trolling the middle / Ind. voters
McCain can advise on the ground war as soon as he proves he knows something about dodging AAA
"Having broken the Baathist regime, we face a remnant of violent Saddam supporters. Men who ran away from our troops in battle are now dispersed and attack from the shadows. These killers, joined by foreign terrorists, are a serious, continuing danger. Yet we're making progress against them. The once all-powerful ruler of Iraq was found in a hole, and now sits in a prison cell. Of the top 55 officials of the former regime, we have captured or killed 45. Our forces are on the offensive, leading over 1,600 patrols a day and conducting an average of 180 raids a week. We are dealing with these thugs in Iraq, just as surely as we dealt with Saddam Hussein's evil regime.
The work of building a new Iraq is hard, and it is right. And America has always been willing to do what it takes for what is right.
Is MeMeMeMecain trying to out Kerry Kerry?
sw
Captain McQueeg strikes again...
IIRC, the President made it quite clear at the onset that this WOT would be a long drawn out process lasting 10 years or more, and that Iraq is only one skirmish in a larger global war on terror. I guess McCain wasn't taking notes that day .....
Ah the politics of getting elected. Lets hope nobody falls for it.
As I recall he said pretty much the opposite. But heck, who cares about facts?
McCain is like "Le Kerry" in one respect: flip flop.
Hey, Dingy Harry, how do you plan to "Change the course" ???
Answer: TURN TAIL AND RUN
McWhacked is a lying POS!
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