Obama campaign blasts McCain’s changing Iraq position

In an Obama campaign conference call, former Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig and Major General Geoffrey Lambert (USA, Ret.,) discuss McCain’s opposition to a timetable for withdrawal in Iraq and the Iraqi governments support for the establishment of a timetable. Lambert says Iraqi forces have a greater functioning capacity and increased confidence, two factors that increase Iraqis’ desire for sovereignty. Danzig states that McCain previously said he would support withdrawal if requested by the Iraqi government and questions why McCain’s position has changed. Danzig adds that Sen. Obama’s support for withdrawal matches Iraqi and American public sentiment. He also says McCain’s position fuels mistrust of the United States in the region. (11:36)
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[MsSwin]

Gaffes Happen has become the official teeshirt of the McCain campaign and they may come to regret 'whining' for more news coverage.

Politicians put their foot in their mouth on a regular basis. Sometimes it may be the result of long hours on the campaign trail, sometimes because they simply can't keep their facts straight and sometimes because they can't keep their lies straight. Sometimes it's simply because they do not understand the facts.

Couric/McCain Interview:

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=4284432n%22%20rel=%22nofollow%22%3E

Per President Bush and Col. MacFarland, the Anbar awakening was already well under way through organized efforts by the tribal leaders well before the surge began. These events took place months before the surge was even announced. Per McCain, the surge 'began' the Anbar awakening.

http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=3738

McCain also neglects the fact that although the surge helped to support an awakening already in progress, the new troops headed for Baghdad, not Anbar. He also gives little credit to the ongoing Sadr truce.

The Couric interview gets even more interesting as McCain tries to distance himself from the numerous failed Iraq policies under the Bush administration:

“McCain: The fact is we had four years of failed policy. We were losing. We were losing the war in Iraq. The consequences of failure and defeat of the United States of America in the first major conflict since 9/11 would have had devastating impacts throughout the region and the world.”

Why would McCain support a president responsible for four years of failure?

“no one has supported President Bush on Iraq more than I have.” [John McCain, 03/28/08)

“The fact is that I have agreed with President Bush far more than I have disagreed. And on the transcendent issues, the most important issues of our day, I’ve been totally in agreement and support of President Bush.” [John McCain, 06/19/05]

“I am proud of this president’s strategy in Iraq.” [John McCain, upon receiving endorsement from President Bush, 02/13/08]

Gaffes and old quotes are a living history of our thought processes, how well we think, what we think and when we think it. Even Carly can't change that fact:

“To say that John McCain was aligned with President Bush on the prosecution of the war in Iraq is to change history.” [Carly Fiorina, McCain Campaign Advisor, 07/13/08]

The McCain campaign should be thankful the media has let them slide on many major issues, such as his voting record on veteran health issues and successful effort to shut down all investigation into remaining POW/MIA over the protests of their families and veteran groups in order to open up trade with Vietnam (his father-in-law immediately opened up a multi-billion dollar beer industry there).

http://www.aiipowmia.com/sea/schanberg_mccain.html

McCain has been given no media coverage on the very real probability he suffers from PTSD.

“Among U.S. servicemen taken captive during the Korean War, as many as nine out of 10 survivors may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental disorders more than 35 years after their release, psychologist Patricia B. Sutker of the New Orleans Veterans Administration Medical Center and her colleagues report in the January AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY.”

Perhaps McCain should quit whining about media coverage and not look a gift horse in the mouth.