McCain blasts use of Iraq as 'political weapon'

[Barrett808]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Influential Senator John McCain slammed politicians who have used the Iraq conflict as a "political weapon to score points" ahead of November 2 elections.

"Rather than discuss how we can best achieve our objectives in Iraq, some have preferred to use the issue as a political weapon to score points in this upcoming election," the Republican from Arizona said, without mentioning anyone by name.

"This is simply irresponsible," McCain told the Council on Foreign Relations, a New York think tank with a Washington office.

"We must not allow the insurgents to believe that they are winning minds in Washington. Our troops, Iraqi people and the world need to see unified American political leadership," McCain said.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040422/pl_afp/us_vote_iraq&cid=1521&ncid=1480

Funny, I don't recall McCain complaining when Rove told Republicans to "run on the war" last year.

[Fenris]

1. EARTH TO MCCAIN: EVERYFUCKINGTHING CAN BE POLITICAL

[LittleApple81]

2. Earth to McCain: PATRIOTIC AND REPUG ARE OPPOSITES!!! n/t

[callous taoboy]

3. EARTH TO MCCAIN

Was Vietnam political?

[darthmix]

4. Yeah, because shrub has NEVER used his war to score political points

[Bake]

5. He's talking about Bush*, right?

Of course he is. That's what I thought.

Anybody who thought McCain was the bipartisan friend of the Dems, time to wake up and smell the coffee.

Bake

[calimary]

23. If he were really a friend of the Dems, he'd put his money where his

mouth is and BECOME one.

[cosmicdot]

6. McCain told the Council on Foreign Relations???

did he wink and nod?

he should be talking to the puppet and his handlers

[bagnana]

7. damn right it's political.

It's the main reason I despise this Administration more than any other I have ever known. I want the murderous, lying, imperialist hogs out of office.

[TahitiNut]

8. When the fuck did the Busholinis ever "discuss" a damned thing ...

... with a Democrat other than Zell-out Miller?? Their idea of 'bipartisan' is bend over and take it. :puke:

[Just Me]

9. Oh, brother. Give us all a break already.

And stop pretending that a unified American political leadership is even possible as long as the Bush regime is in charge.

[robbob]

10. I love the way they always imply

that the only reason anyone would criticize this fiasco is for cheap political gain. As if 700 dead American soldiers, 12,000+ dead Iraqi's, billions of wasted dollars, and massive war profiteering by companies with direct ties to this administration are not enough reasons to attack b* and company. All this needless waste and suffering over a war based on lies and deception, but still we must'nt criticize the chimp; that would be giving aid to the "enemy", and must surely be motivated by political ambition.

What a lying sack of shit McLaim has turned out to be.

[htuttle]

11. Political? Like the June 30 deadline?

Like not 'introducting a new product in August' 2002?

[NNN0LHI]

12. I wonder if this crackhead would be saying this if Iraq was going great?

Somehow I doubt it.

Don

[NewYorkerfromMass]

33. There it is.

oops.

[enki23]

13. senator mccain. respectfully. go fuck yourself.

every, EVERY issue in a candidate's platform is a "political weapon" by this standard. you, senator, and your pointless grandstanding, are full of shit.

[Jacobin]

14. "SHRIIIIEEEEKK....Stop holding us accountable!!!!!!!!!!!!"

We're republicans and we can do anything we want and when we fuck up you can't call us on it because then you're being "unpatriotic"

Where have we heard this claptrap before? :eyes:

[bluedog]

15. hey McCain

watch much TV? Isn't bush the one who is always spouting he is a "War" resident?? Seen his ads about 9-11?? I"d say get a life and go back to work.you are on way too many talk shows!!

[Neshanic]

16. Methinks someone got a spanking recently for being too candid.

[pinto]

17. he might have been talking about fellow Republicans.....i's possible.

[yardwork]

26. He's talking about the Democrats....see quote below

"We must not allow the insurgents to believe that they are winning minds in Washington. Our troops, Iraqi people and the world need to see unified American political leadership," McCain said.

This is aimed straight at all of us "unpatriotic, treasonous" people who dare to speak out against the war.

[nolabels]

37. In short, McCain thinks everybody should vote for Bushco

:puke:

[DS1]

18. There is no clean way to end the Iraq occupation

If one existed, McCain would have a point, the problem is that if Bush is put back in office he'll distract from that by invading Iran, if Kerry is put in office he's fucked either way.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

19. Didn't the Rethugs make Iraq a "Political Issue" in 2002???

McCain is A SCUM BAG!!!! Why do many here at DU defend him???

:wtf:

:eyes:

[bloom]

20. I wonder if McCain is getting paid to spew talking points...n/t

[Carolina]

21. FUCK McCain

"We must not allow the insurgents to believe that they are winning minds in Washington. Our troops, Iraqi people and the world need to see unified American political leadership ..." Gee, John, that's not political, that's not telling us to rally around Bush.

Truth to John: ... the Iraqi people don't give squat about the UNITY of American leadership; they want us to get the fuck out of their country. And the world -- Spain, Honduras, etc. are showing through action what they think of American leadership. So shut the fuck up and slink back up Bush's ass.

[rfkrocks]

22. the GOP invents the horrible Bush doctrine

calling for "preemptive" war and then takes the American people who are like an abused spouse after 9/11 and tie Iraq to 9/11 and then dump all over the UN and then lower taxes while spending like a drunken sailor on this war and we can' debate it? No Sir! In a democracy we don't follow "sun kings" czars and those born to rule-If we did that we would not be a republic but a monarchy. If American sons and daughters are to die for a policy then it IS OUR GOD GIVEN RIGHT TO DEBATE IT !!!!

[daleo]

24. How can war not be a political issue

It is the ultimate political issue, especially in a democracy. McCain should try reading Thucydides, written 2500 years ago, if he needs confirmation. Ignorant fool.

[pacifictiger]

25. Hey people

lighten up on McCain

"The president must make clear to the American people the scale of the commitment required to prevail in Iraq. You need to be perfectly frank," he said.
"We should admit that mistakes have been made. ... We need to have a long-term plan for our troops' presence," he said.
"Bringing peace and democracy in Iraq is an enormous endeavor that would be very expensive, difficult and long," McCain said.
"We need more troops," he added. "We must deploy at least another full division and probably more."

The countdown to shrub's June 30 deadline is fast approaching and it is far more important to figure out what needs to be done than continue, at this late stage, to play the blame game. The stakes for the world are too high.

I happened to stay up waaaay too late last night watching cspan where the senate foreign relations committee had convened witnesses, in the absence of any input from the administration, to try to figure out what they can do to try and sort out the mess that we're currently in.

It was more in the form of, we need help, let us pick your brains. In the first part of the hearing they had Sandy Berger and Schlesinger (sp?) and then they had Perle (ugh!!!) who in my opinion made an ass out of himself, and two scholars whose names I cannot remember but who were great. One a professor of middle eastern history from the university of michigan, and an english gentleman who the caption said was a "middle eastern fellow," whose advice indicated he was an expert in middle eastern political affairs. I learned more from those two guys as to recommendations as to what they felt would be the best common sense options to take based on the situation on the ground today. It was very informative and encouraging to see senators reaching out to others with intimate knowledge of iraq seeing as they are not getting straight answers from this politically manipulative and stupid administration.
Edit: the scholars, unlike bush and co, have spent a considerable amount of time actually in iraq and the middle east over the years and understand how the various factions work and how they think - the professor also reads arabic newspapers daily keeping a current pulse on the tides of opinion that sway the masses.

[yardwork]

27. It's good that some politicians are finally asking for expert help

but that doesn't make what McCain said any more acceptable.

He's wrong, pure and simple. Debate is American. Debate is patriotic. And we, as citizens whose taxes pay for this invasion and ongoing occupation of another country, have a moral obligation to inform ourselves about the situation, and express our opinions to our elected representatives.

They represent us - they don't rule us.

[Nancy Waterman]

30. Let's keep in mind the truth about what is happening

Someone should send this article to McCain. I am tired of politicians and pundits talking about what isn't the point. It is all bullshit because no one talks about the real goals. Kerry needs to talk about the real neocon goals of Bush that got us into Iraq and then refute them.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FD23Ak02.html

The guerrilla resistance, combined with Washington's bungling of the occupation, have compelled President George W Bush and his neo-conservative advisors to reconfigure or shelve several of their more grandiose post-war plans. But the US government has no intention to simply relinquish its expensively obtained hegemony over a Baghdad government possessing the world's second largest proven petroleum reserves and strategically located to influence the entire Middle East.

snip

The Bush administration expects that the new government will "invite" US troops to remain in the country under the usual "status of forces" agreement with various foreign countries hosting some 750 other US bases. If the Iraqis balk at an occupation agreement, Washington will interpret UN Security Council resolution 1551 as providing the needed authority. The resolution was passed last fall to "legalize" the US-led occupation. As now, the commanding general of the occupation force will report directly to the Pentagon, bypassing Iraqi and US civilian authorities in the country.

The White House is creating a parallel political regime in Baghdad. It has ordered construction of the largest American embassy in the world to accommodate an extraordinary 3,000 employees, far larger than any other US diplomatic mission. Many of these "diplomats" will be assigned to the various Iraqi government departments as "advisers," or co-equal authorities, effectively sharing in the operations of the Iraqi government. According to the progressive British journalist and film-maker John Pilger, writing in the New Statesman on April 17: "There will be no handover . The new regime will be stooges, with each ministry controlled by American officials and with its stooge army and stooge police force run by the Americans."

[pacifictiger]

34. for those that might be interested

here is a link to the written statement from professor cole from university of michigan, part of the info given to the senate foreign relations committee that I referred to above.
http://foreign.senate.gov/testimony/2004/ColeTestimony040420.pdf

[daleo]

28. He is deluded, as people were during the Viet Nam era

He should know better. Of all people, he should know better. Of all people, he should know better.

[sendero]

29. Dear Mr McCain...

... are you kidding me? Every action Bush* takes is political, and every action every politician takes will be scrutinized to see if they are worthy of another term.

FYI - Georgie fails this test abjectly.

If you don't like the heat, get out of the kitchen.

[Frances]

31. What about the "War President"?

[leesa]

32. Ah yes...the old traitor spews the GOP mantra...dissent is "political"

McCain is a traitor and an ass.

[Voltaire99]

35. McCain is a psychopath

...who has never met a war he didn't like. Who gives a rat's ass what he thinks?

[Lorien]

36. How about using 9/11 as a political tool?

choke on that, Johnny boy!

[Forkboy]

38. Now will the people who think he'd be a swell VP pick

please wake the fuck up.