Iraqi forces performed 'pretty well' in Basra: McCain

[Barrett808]

Source: AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Republican presidential hopeful John McCain said Sunday that Iraq's military performed "pretty well" in its recent Basra assault despite the "mixed" results of the battle.

Speaking ahead of a week when Congress will hold key hearings on the progress of the war in Iraq, the presumed Republican nominee for president defended Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government as increasingly effective in managing the war-torn country.

"Now, obviously, the results were mixed," McCain said on Fox News of the Basra attack against Shiite militia.

"Obviously, there were problems and Maliki in my view should have waited until we had concluded the battle of Mosul," he said in the interview recorded on Friday.

But, McCain said, "Overall, the Iraqi military performed pretty well. ... eight or nine months ago, it would have been unthinkable."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080406/pl_afp/usiraqviolencevotemccain

[Democrats_win]

1. LOL. They beat the iraqi military bad. They even took their toys. Is McCain stupid too?

[Dr.Phool]

2. Yes he is.

[Middle finga]

3. When will these lying bastards be forced to tell the truth to the

american people? Anyone paying attention know that the recent battle was between two Iranian backed Shiite militias fighting for control of the oil rich city of Basara. The Neo cons try to present this as if this was some unified Iraqi army fighting on behalf of the people of Iraq against the "bad guys" which is simply bullshit.

[Muttocracy]

11. see my post #10 below. Short answer - I hope soon! nt

[tabasco]

4. Except for that brigade that defected, they did great!

McCain must be pretty stupid if he believes that.

[Warren Stupidity]

5. 100 year occupation McCain's Basra Delusion.

Maliki and the Badr Brigade (aka Iraq Army South) got their asses handed to them. McLame ought to talk to Betrayus, who is off on the opposite talking point that the upset in Basra is clear proof that Iran is fighting a proxy war in Iraq using the Mahdi Army. These neoclowns cannot even get their clown shoes on right, and there is no wrong way to do that.

You cannot have 100 years of peaceful occupation McCain, you are in fact proposing endless bloody conflict. You do not even know who the key players are, nor are you aware of the current situation. Go back to bed. Your staff will wake you up in time for the Early Bird specials.

[MasonJar]

6. Liar! Liar! Pants on fire!

[mcollier]

7. Would you want this man running your company?

A sure way to financial ruin... What would we expect with McCain running the country....

McCain has serious integrity problems...

[Sam Ervin jret]

8. With one remark to the next from this guy, I can't tell if he's McShameful of Mclameful

Do we really want or need another president whose every remark calls for an explanation or an apology?

Please let the answer be NO.

[ohio2007]

9. Sadr party faces rising isolation

BAGHDAD - Iraq's major Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish parties have closed ranks to force anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to disband his Mahdi Army militia or leave politics, lawmakers and officials involved in the effort said Sunday.
Such a bold move risks a violent backlash by al-Sadr's Shiite militia. But if it succeeds it could cause a major realignment of Iraq's political landscape.

The first step will be adding language to a draft election bill banning parties that operate militias from fielding candidates in provincial balloting this fall, the officials and lawmakers said. The government intends to send the draft to parliament within days and hopes to win approval within weeks.

"We, the Sadrists, are in a predicament," lawmaker Hassan al-Rubaie said Sunday. "Even the blocs that had in the past supported us are now against us and we cannot stop them from taking action against us in parliament."

Al-Sadr controls 30 of the 275 parliament seats, a substantial figure but not enough to block legislation.

snip

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080406/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_isolating_the_sadrists


October elections in Iraq. Will Sadrs base erode faster the hitlery's backers by then ?

[Muttocracy]

10. Biden: "I love the idea of having McCain explain why [the surge] is working so well."

:evilgrin: :popcorn:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3109545&mesg_id=3109545

[Bigmack]

12. Two observations...

First... from the Vietnam war came a wry quote.... "ARVN rifles... never been fired, and only dropped once." Hell, those rifles in Iraq weren't even dropped. They were handed gently over to the militias.

Second... If there is any drop in violence in Iraq as we approach the election, McLame will claim US policy is working, and the Murikans will believe it.

[DemoTex]

14. Cowboy used that line to the pimp in "Full Metal Jacket."

COWBOY: "Be glad to trade you some ARVN rifles. Never been fired and only dropped once."

[Bigmack]

17. Believe me... FMJ didn't invent that line. nt

[Solly Mack]

13. McBush, Cush, Mush, McBain (bane), Jorge, Gohn

Whenever one of them opens their mouth, you hear the other one

[gratuitous]

15. Okay, so McCain is homicidally out of touch with reality

Obama only bowled a 37 in seven frames! Who do you want in charge of the military if we're invaded by the League of Women Bowlers? Think about it, America! We no longer have Chuck Heston to guard our borders.

[damntexdem]

16. Yeah, they did real well:

they were very efficient in the ways that they turned Iraqi military equipment over to the Mahdi Army. And they were most graceful in their pirouettes to get out of the line of fire.

;-)