McCain’s success tied to Iraq war?
3rd battalion 2nd Stryker cavalry regiment on the outskirts of the restive city of Baquba, northeast of Baghdad, January 2008. Click the play button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say.
(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
John McCain is tying his future to what happens in Iraq. He says he will lose the race for the White House if he can't convince Americans that our policy in Iraq is succeeding. He may be onto something.
Not long after the words came out of his mouth, McCain tried to put them back in, which hardly ever works. McCain said he wanted to retract the "I'll lose" comment, but added that how the American people judge Iraq will have a direct relation on how they judge him.
It's not an unreasonable proposition that McCain sees his future so closely entwined with the war in Iraq. Last summer, when a lot of U.S. troops were dying there and McCain was supporting the surge, his campaign was losing staff, short on money and close to collapse.
McCain claims both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were both wrong about the "surge" and points to recent political progress in Iraq. What he doesn't mention is that Obama was opposed to the invasion of Iraq from the outset, while Clinton voted for it. Both Democratic candidates insist that if elected, McCain would only continue President Bush's "failed" policies. And they highlight his remark that U.S. troops could be in Iraq for 100 years at every opportunity.
McCain has his work cut out for him. Despite the decrease in violence in Iraq and some political progress, five years after the invasion, about 60% of Americans still think the war was a mistake.
Here’s my question to you: John McCain says he could lose the election over the Iraq war issue. Is he right?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Jeff from Boston writes:
The Iraq war was sold to us as part of the war on terror. It wasn't, and it has only created a new generation of Islamic extremists who hate us. The fact that both Senators McCain and Clinton failed to understand and articulate the difference between the Iraq war and the war on terror suggests either a failing of the head or the backbone. Either way, neither would make a good president.
Robert writes:
Yes, I think that McCain's presidential chances are dead on arrival! His unwavering support of the Iraq travesty has secured the presidency for the Democrats. He is in the dark; poll after poll has stated that the American public does not like this war and yet he, just like the current buffoon in the White House, continues to support this war. Time for a change.
Will writes:
Jack, You do not give McCain enough credit for bravely defying public opinion in order to support the troop surge, which is showing results. We have been in Japan for over 60 years and similarly, in this conflict, we will have to keep troops in the region permanently. Those are just the facts, and John McCain is just telling the honest truth.
Gail from St. Paul, Minnesota writes:
McCain, and anyone else who's tied his future to the Bush/Cheney disaster in Iraq, will be blown away as soon as you guys in the media stop letting them say "the surge is working." Yes, it's helped. But why don't you hammer on the truth that radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for a cease-fire 6 months ago? That he recently threatened to end the cease-fire and could do so anytime he chooses? Then we'll see just what our continued occupation of Iraq will mean for our soldiers. McCain doesn't get it.
Leia from Washington writes:
McCain has taken such a hard-nosed stance on the Iraq war, that there is no room for him to back out of it. He has adamantly supported a war that the majority of Americans, 60% even now, say was a mistake. That's not Republican. That's not Democratic. That's the American perspective. He is in trouble and frankly, any man (or woman) who supports a war that has taxed our military, torn apart many of America's families, and left us with obscene death and debt tolls should be.
@jackcafferty on Twitter
Surrender to who? The terrorists that George Bush created in Iraq are not in charge of Iraq, or the cival war in Iraq. The war is between Sunni, and Shia insurgents. So again, If we get out of their country, and their Civil War, Just Whom will America surrender too? Osama? Where the Hell is he? Not in Iraq. It's just another Republican ruse ment to control your mind with fear. And it will not work this time if you don't let your emotions get in the way of the facts.
If McCain said that he'd lose the election if God Himself proclaimed him president I would believe it. I mean I believe he would lose the election even if God Himself procalimed McCain president, not I believe what McCain said or didn't said ... too confusing. I foresee another Goldwater rout whether or not the war is "succesful" or "victory" is in the bag.
If our friend wants to win the election, he has to stop praising George W. Bush and his policies.
But he won't stop praising W and he won't win the election.
McCain is a one issue candidate, Security. That is the reason he can lose this election. The guy never talks about anything else of substance, not one thing. I'm disappointed fellow voters across the aisle have chosen a one issue candidate. It used to be voters were one issue voters, not it appears as if the candidates themselves are one issue candidates........
John McCain says he could lose the election over the Iraq war issue. Is he right?
Don't get me wrong, I like John McCain, he's funny and open on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"... But he's right, the blinders on are, he's a one topic candidate.
We need economic reforms – he admits it's not his forte.
We need healthcare adjustments – again not his forte.
We need Amerca to come together and work together to solve problems – sorry John, focusing on the Iraq situation doesn't bring a country together.
Let me pose this, wasn't Mission Accomplished something President Bush said a long time ago? Getting out of Iraq is not defeat when the "mission was already accomplished". This is a police action not a war. Where's the enemy uniforms and government?
He is correct partially that he will lose this election but issues can be many though. It is great that he is using his right to be correct but he should also think using his right to be wrong by admitting that he is sorry that he thought he can win this election with Barack obama in the race.
The Iraq war is only one aspect of the election process that is being ignored by everyone. We want the war over and everyone home safe,but Bush does not listen to anyone but Cheney. McCain,as a veteran of a failed war,needs to tell the the American public that he is listening to them and explain,in detail,how he is going to end Bush's folly. Anything less is sure defeat!
Nope, McCain will lose the election if Mr. Obama gets the nomination. In my own humble opinion, he'll win if whats her name gets the democratic nomination. The democrats could nominate Casper the friendly ghost and win against McCain, but not whats her name. But all in all, Jack, who really wins and who really loses if somehow McCain does win?
Jack of course not! He will lose the election because Obama is his opponent.
-Chicago IL
I like Mr. McCain, but he needs to buy a clue - Bush's war is a disaster on many levels. As long as he supports continuing Bush's war, he loses support among voters. This is not the year of the hawk.
NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If it comes down to him needing my vote to win, then he is exactly right. I was against the invasion of Iraq from the start. I think it has cost us a lot of unnecessary lives and so many wounded of the best fighting men in the world. I actually despise President Bush for what he did and I feel no better about Mccain be cause of what he will do if he is president. I am a person who feels very strongly about this war and will argue with anyone who tries to defend it and vote against any one running for office in favor of it. I remember the Vietnam War very well and never thought we would have another president so stupid to get us involved in another one, but look where we are now.
Dear Jack: McCain will lose to either Democrat Candidate this fall, because the Majority of Americans want out of Iraq, and no continuation of this Bush Administration! It's time to let Iraq make its own "self-determination" as to how they want to run their Country. we broke it, and can't fix it, so say "i'm sorry" and get the heck out!
Jack
John McCain is right on the money with this one, his position on the war has put him in a deep hole that will be tough to climb out of before November. He is attempting to correct the comment he made about being there for 100 years. People have not forgotten this and will remember when they are in the voting both.
What is this world coming to, when a politician resorts to telling the truth?
My prediction is that Obama will win the presidency by a landslide. I further predict that many of the "red" Southern states will turn blue.
It's all Bush's fault. Everyone's sick of him and anyone associated with him. This election cycle, both Democrats and Republicans have one thing in common: they're both sick of Republicans.
no he is not,his election will be done for him when the republican party gets through putting out all the dirt they have already collected on obama the same things that the news media probably already has but will not put out till obama has the democratic nomination swift boat again thanks JACK,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
This candidate wants to be our Commander in Chief? Reality check please.
You bet he's right. Jack. They're gonna cost him the election.
I WON'T forget his comments.
His "wealth of experience and wisdom" means my grandchildren could end up in Iraq 15 years from now.
HELL NO, McCain!
Keith
Texas
Hi Jack. Who is McCant kidding? We lost the war in Iraq a long time ago after George Bush and his cronies invaded it and Al Queda moved in. And thus McCant will lose this election because no one... no one except the extreme right wing... believes that any kind of victory is possible in Iraq. This man is a one-issue candidate and frankly he is too old to be our president!
McCain did not invade Iraq. The Congress along with president Bush invaded Iraq. Obama did not vote for it but neither did he get on a platform and denounce it and shout it from the roof tops. He is as complicit as the rest that did authorize the invasion.
I don't know about other people but when I see a wrong I don't sit quietly by and just let it happen. That is why we have so many congress members. We hope for reason in at least a few of them to sound the alarm prior to disaster. Hind sight is always 20/20.
Jack: On all the other issues that arise in the coming campaign the candidates will be able to baffle us with bull cookies and muddy the waters of distinction between each other. On this issue however, especially in light of Senator McCains 100 year comment there will be a clear distinction. AlSadr extended the Mahdi armies truce for 6 months last week so Senator McCains campaign would take a serious hit in August if Al Sadr turns them loose and all of bush's "gains"from the surge are lost. McCains campaign will take another serious hit in April or May when All the news reports will be about another milestone in Iraq when the body count for our military reaches 4000. Yes Senator McCain is right
McCain has already lost.
Cambridge, MA
Let us hope that Sen. McCain loses the election. How many more young men and women will have to lose their lives before the Republicans admit that their war for oil is not working and will not work. Iraq was not our war on terrorists. If they had actually wanted a war on terrorists they would have invaded Saudi Arabia. After all, that is where Osama bin Laden and his band of "evil doers" were from. If Sen. McCain were really smart he would disavow George Bush and his war and get in step with the Democrats.
If John McCain loses the election, it will be because he turned his back on America and American workers in favor of siding with the Democrats on Illegal Immigration. Jobs Americans won't do; HA! Since when are construction, truck driving, plumbing, tile setting, cooking, janitorial work, landscaping, irrigation, physical labor or any other job, " Jobs Americans won't do".
Jack,
There is no doubt McCain's insistence on the surge–has changed things on the ground in Iraq. This is evidenced in the massive reductions of IED's and insurgent attacks–and the numbers of Americans being killed/injured.
His election in November is undoubtedly tied to Iraq and the War on Terrorism in general. It will ultimately boil down to an ideological battle between McCain and the Dem. rival–probably Obama on the most realistic strategies on a phased and honorable withdrawel of our troops, and whether or not the U.S. should base our military in Iraq in the future. Conservatives will argue a presence will enable a rapid redeployment if necessary after we've removed most of our troops–liberals will be utterly against the idea. A major issue will be the timing of our withdrawel and whether or not we should establish a deadline–and how fast it should be.
The real strength of McCain will be his military prowess as Commander In Chief in a time of war. This will be Obama's great weakness should he get the Dem. nomination. He has no basis in his personal history that could possibly have prepared him to lead the armed forces in a time of war.
Should be an interesting battle to watch since the country is about equally divided on the issues.
If John McCain loses the White House it will be for a couple reasons. The 100 years comment was a huge mistake. It was a huge mistake to go there in the first place. Didn't we learn anything from watching the USSR get their butts kicked by a bunch of militia men in Afghanistan? The other reason, and this is the biggest turn off in my mind, is the way he spouts off support for the Bush administrations failed policies. Republican "base" or not how many people at this point in time actually think the Bush White House makes good decisions? It's this sort of blind devotion bordering on denial that's going to leave the Republican party scarred for years to come. If George Bush jumped off a bridge, would the Republican base follow him?
McCain looks at a war that was not only a mistake, but a willful, intentional mistake and says "the surge is working". If that doesn't make him Senator McBush, he can always add "the tax cuts are working". What convoluted logic can assert that a terrible situation that is not quite as terrible as it used to be is somehow a success? He will be backed up by the usual cliches about the price of freedom, fiighting them over there so we don't have to fight them over here, they attacked us, they hate our freedoms, etc, etc. from every conservative outpost, but in the end, if that's all he's got, he's cooked.
Jack
McCain got to find something to blame his lost on. He was going to loose any way. George Bush have made very sure that no republican will win in this counrty for many years to come.
Olive Branch MS
Yes it is. You know I was ferociously against going into Iraq back in the day. Yet we went in. I was horrified at the carelessness of planning... how we failed to secure the region. And I think that is where the real frustration and failure lies.
Right or wrong, the Iraqis did not force us to invade ...we did this. Every American owns this. We need to finish this.
McCain has shown with his push for the Surge that improvement. And it seems there is improvement and ownership on the part of the Iraqis. That is Hope in action ...however little.
For all the talk about Hope... McMCain has the audacity to see Hope through in Iraq. While other candidates want to write the last chapter in Iraq. I dont see that as being very hopeful...
Yes, he will lose big as long as he supports Bush and his war of choice. McCain has pretty much left reality when it comes to the issues. Every person in this country hates George W. Bush and wants to end Bush's war in Iraq. If McCain doesn't start listening to what the people are saying then he will lose which I hope happens. This is the year of Barack Obama and real change. Sylvania OH.
Not necessarily. Whoever the Democratic candidate is will undoubtedly be swiftboated so badly that it will look like Kerry was being praised. The mindless voters, most of whom are obviously dumb as posts (they voted for Bush 2X) will believe all the slanderous and libelous misstatemnts of fact and go for McCain, even if the economy goes into a depression and Iraq becomes a bloodbath again.
Jack,
No, he's only partially right. McCain will lose because he stands side by side with GW on many issues including the Iraq war. How about McCain's cries for Obama to honor his commitment for public financing and a few days later, when he was faced with spending restrictions, he backed out himself. Without FEC approval. McCain claims to be a man of honor but his years in Washington have made honor, just another word to use when he need's votes.
He was wrong when he said he COULD lose because of Iraq.
He WILL lose because of Iraq.
Jack, its not fair to say that Iraq is the issue that will lose the election for McCain, Not fair at all. There are so many issues that are just as relevant to his losing the election and they deserve just as much attention. Playing favorites just makes the others feel unloved.
Yes. The country is so against this war now and he seems to have picked up the banner as Bush's Iraq War Poster Boy.
Port Huron MI
Jack, McCain's 100 year Iraq war will be the death knoll for him! After he is a Bush protege and you know how popular Bush is.
Yes, he's right and he should lose. John McCain's heroism has caused him to negotiate the blood and treasure of our country as a political strategy for a war he voted in favor. This makes him no different than Giuliani who used the 911 tragedy as cause for his candidacy.
If John McCain understands that the success of his campagin is tied to Iraq & that he already has tied himself to another 100 years of war/occupation to Iraq, then he should be prepared to lose this election. Because real thinking Americans will not stand for 100 years of either war or the continuous occupation with all the deaths that will inevitably be attached to that occupation.
Patricia,
Palmdale, Ca.
John McCain, can't win! He isn't even in this campaign. He has no answers for health care, the economy, Big Oil, and he is ridding the Bush War Horse into the abyss! No Republican could win with the War! The next President will be elected at the Democrat National Convention!
He is and will.
If there is no Iraq threat, there are no McCain votes.
If McCain continues to support the war in Iraq, he will definitively loose the general election. He should be interested in concluding this conflict, rather than trying to explain to Americans that we are winning.........we are winning what? Been there, did that in Vietnam. Solve Iraq.........and the road to he White House will be paved with his name............and that is easier said than done. You know war is "big business" for some and tragedy for others.
Yes, it will be Iraq that loses McCain the election. I'm an otherwise reasonable person and I have great respect for Senator McCain. I would have voted for him eight years ago had he received the nomination. But I will not be voting for him this year almost exclusively because of his undaunting support of the war in Iraq. McCain will just be four more years of Bush, but (hopefully) without all of the secrets and lies.
McCain's loss of the election is NOT dependent on the success of the war. His potential loss will come from Obama's focus on items which are true no matter how the tactical situation develops.
1)The war was the wrong strategic decision from the getgo. It diverted us from our real enemy, Osama Bin Laden. McCain supported and supports that error.
2) The war is wrecking our military. Thousands of lives have been lost. Troops are not sufficiently rested. Suicides are at an all time high. We have few reserves should the military be needed somewhere else. McCain has not given us straight talk on the state of our military which is near collapse.
3) The war has a voracious appetite for our national resources. Consider the lost opportunity costs. The President supported by his GOP allies has not included the war costs in the already deficit yearly budget. McCain supports this denial of reality.
So, no, tactical progress won't save McCain's skin. The record is already against him.
Jack, If Mccain is right about one thing then he is right about this . He has got to know that this is a hot topic and how the american public feels about this so called war that never have spread to Iraq by this bumbling administration and cost the lives of so many of our young people forget the money its the loss of lives that really matters. what was this thinking???????
Yes! Sen McCain is correct that the issue of Iraq could cost him the election, the war is his strong hand. For him not to consider that would be quite foolish and his ability to come back from political oblivion to party nominee tells us that he is far from foolish.
Detroit, MI
No, but the weight of our party on his back could do him in. I became a republican in the 80's looking for real solutions, and instead have seen cheap wedge issues masking bad leadership. Tac cuts have gone from stimulating the economy to payoffs for looking the other way while nothing gets done. If Obama can show people real reasons to hope, which health care reform with a free-market twist is, McCain will be in real trouble, hero or not.
Jack,
The Iraq war will be do or die for President McCain or NOT. If the troop surge was working in Iraq then he should not have to try to convince the voters of our country the policy we implemented in Iraq is succeeding...
C.I., New York
Jack, to be blunt..YES. I am a retired Army man myself and I do not agree with this war in Iraq; however I do support the troops that are there. Iraq, is a war waged on missrepresentation and twisted facts.
When the first war was called off back in the early 90, now that was also a mistake. Powell wanted to finish the job they started then. However going back almost 10years later was a huge mistake. McCains remarks initially that the war would take much longer and would require American presence for 100 years was a huge blunder on his part. Now he is changing his tune by stating the war will be over soon. Hmmm something is wrong here. Americans do not want to see their sons and daughters continue to be cut down in a war that had no business being waged in the first place.
yes......... he needs to realize that if elected he works for me and every other american! 70% of us say get out of iraq, so who is he to say we will stay there for up to 100 years? as far as i am concerned his resume is in the trash.
The War won't even help him!! But lately, it still does not stop Fox news from fear mongering with, all of a sudden, during elections "new footage of terrorist tactics" thats released from the Bush military administration. Everything the Republicans do is based on fear to stay in power. They seem like the wizard on the wizard of Oz, hiding behind the curtains, making a big fuss; when there's really no substance behind the curtain but a stay rich, oppressive ideology.
The question is not whether the surge is working, but that Bush should have had the surge in the beginning before so many of our soldiers were killed and chaos took over!!!
McCain has tied himself to the anchor of national security. Whether that anchor holds him steady through rough storms or drags him to a watery grave will depend largely on the public perception of the war come November.
Jack:
Correct, McCain will lose if the "war" is still going on in Iraq. The war is in Afganistan, stupid! Let the Iraqis get their country together. We gave it back to them. We're done there.
Not only can he lose over the war, he will. Are Republicans' memories so short that they have forgotten the 2006 elections? Couple that with the ever growing disdain for the Bush administration, and McCain is dead on arrival.
McCain's election will be tied to the success of the republican-media smear machine that will be turned loose on Obama the night he is officially nominated. Yesterday we saw a small taste of it with the photo of Obama in Somali garb; look for this photo, plus others of the same ilk, possibly 'doctored', along with endless rumours, inuendo, and lies about Obama and Islam.
After that, McCain could possibly break Nixon and Reagan's landslide records from 1972 & 1984. The Iraq war will figure in, but will not faze the effects of the smears.
It really depends on what happens in the months leading up to the general election. For example, if (God forbid) there is another terrorist attack on US soil before November, then it is very likely support for staying the course in Iraq (and the so-called "war on terrorism") will rise sharply and that McCain will win. If on the other-hand there are no terrorists attacks here and the situation in Iraq seems either relatively stable or our casualties go up again, then it's like he will lose. There's no such thing as a simple answer to this question.
That said, I would have to say that the American public is largely sick of the war, sick of George Bushes policies, and increasingly more concerned about domestic issues like the economy and health care. I don't see McCain strong on any of these issues – and I would expect him to go down to defeat in the fall.
70% of Americans want out of Iraq. So If Bush decides to get the troops out before November, Maybe McCain can say he talked hum into it. What do ya say Dubya, does that sound like a plan? You could even get Rumsfeld back for a guest appearence to stand up with you and hold your crayons.
Yes,he is correct.The GOP made a huge mistake in ignoring Ron Paul,In some cases they were outright hostile to him.As a republican,I am ashamed of my party,they are no longer Republicans,they are simply neocons.I would feel more secure with Obama than McCain.
John McCain needs to broaden his horizons. Bush has already obsessed over Iraq and forgetting about "we the people". An impoverished country is always a prime target for aggressors.
It's time McCain took some micro or macroeconomics courses. It might help his campaign.
ONLY A MORON LIKE SENATOR JOHN MCFORRESTGUMPCAIN WOULD GO FOR A LONG SHOT LIKE THE ONE HE IS BETTING THE FARM ON. HE MUST HAVE MISSED THE LAST NOV. ELECTION RESULTS CAMPAIGNING SO HARD TO BE PRESIDENT. MAYBE IF HE HAD DONE HIS JOB A SENATOR A LITTLE BETTER AND ENFORCED OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS AND STOP FUNDING THESE STUPID WARS HE MIGHT HAVE HAD A CHANCE.
No America has other issues that are pissing it off just as bad. Issues like outsourcing of jobs, healthcare, education, government corruption, and on and on. McCain better come to the table with more than Iraq and National Security.
Let us just hope that the world does not a demonstration that will force us to see the importance of war. Frankly I am scared to think of the things that people who believe the only thing better than wars are surges in the same war.
Jack,
Senator John McCain is gonna lose and he is gonna lose big time know why..? because we've seen enough Republicans for one Decade.
Adolph Menjou , Shamong twp, NJ
Yes, It would be like the "third strike" (referencing an earlier blogger – economy, not his forte – healthcare reform, not his forte) However, as a former military person, I KNOW THAT OUR SOLDIERS WILL SUCEED! They will (and have) done a fabulous job, with little resources and under dire circumstances. That is the American MIlitary Spirit! So, this won't be writen in the history books as another Vietnam, OUR men and women will come home after successfully turning over the control of Iraq to the Iraqi people. It is time for the citizens of Iraq to step up and meet the challenge of self rule.
Yes. But it does make you wonder why our entire foreign policy isn't being discussed.
We have kept our troops in Germany since the end of world war two at great expense to us, allowing them to spend a greater amount on social programs for their citizens, and less on their own defense.
We are printing more money to keep troops in 130 countries, while the value of the dollar drops and our middle class standard of living drops.
Now Senators Biden and Kerry want to give an extra billion to Pakistan.
Here's an idea. Why don't some of our filthy-rich allies around the Persian Gulf kick in some money?
He should lose for singing "Bomb, bomb, bomb, Iran" and saying we will be in Iraq for the next 100 years. How he is even running is a mystery to me. We don't need another 4 years of cowboy diplomacy.
The shallow thinking classes keep regurgitating "McCain's 100-year War". As a 25+ year vet who was stationed in Italy, Germany and Korea, I understood his quote the first time.
We won't be fighting for 100 years, but we will have a presence.
When we fought the Kosovo Air War, (the one that has Putin's tighty whiteys all in a bunch), the US commander and our French allies rolled into Pristina at the same time. It was previously arranged that the US commander would arrive first. When he pointed this out to his French colleague, the French general turned to him and said "Why are you worried, you ar ethe US, you will be here for at least another 30 years."
Depends on who he's running against.
Jack, absolutly he's right. His only illusion is that he has already lost the general election, he just doesn't know it. Hanging his hat on the surge and so-called recent success in Iraq is like hanging it on a bull's horn. No matter how many times you put it there, it won't stay long.
He says we will not be fighting in Iraq for decades but, we will have a presence there. He compares it to Korea, Japan, and other countries we have occupied for years and years. Americans only put up with these neverending deployments because they realized nothing can be said or done to change it.
However, times are different today. People are questioning our involvements around the world including those that asked us there. Our reputation and effectiveness are waning. People are wondering why we spend billions of dollars maintaining these bases, yet veterans go homeless, children have no health care, our infastructure is crumbling, poverty is at an all time high, etc., etc., etc..
Millions of folks around the world are worse off because of America's policies and actions. Any attempt by John McCain to stay the course in our current foreign policy will meet with disasterous results. As a matter of fact, any attempt to stay the course at home will mean certain defeat in November. Mr McCain needs to realize that the Republican Party is in trouble and needs new direction, leaders, and philosophies. Anything less will only produce more indecisiveness, gridlock, and contempt for those who push these outdated ideas forward with no regard for their outcomes.
Jack,
If John McCain is going to run his campaign based on the Iraq war, he has already lost.
Yes, is absolutedly the correct answer! BUT, he's going to have to bring back the draft. The only caveat to his rational,is the hundred years? If were their just (hypothetically) another five years ,we'll be a bankrupt country, on the verge of falling into the abyss of a 3rd world country? This ain't an unpatriotic statement my friend's, but only the facts, you go figure? Earl , Provincetown,Mass.
He could lose the election over the Iraq war issue. My daughter says McCain scares me, she is afraid her son(my grandson)might end up going to to Iraq and he is only 6, that is saying a lot. People are tired of this war for many reasons.
Yes he is right. He has been obsessed with the 2008 domino thory. His remarks that w nneded to saty 100 years or maybe 1000 would [play. Now he is saying that he war is almost over – he sure hopes so. He will continue to insist that this is the case if tere is no change before November, and the thru 2012 if by some freak circumstance he is elected.
I am ver disappointed in McCain, if he plans to carry on the military activity he should have the integrity to call for a draft. W can't continue this idiocy without twice as many combattroops.
Yes, just as McCain was right when he said we went into Iraq with too few troops, he's right about the fact this issue may cost him the election. The Democrats ( whoever wins the nomination) are going to beat his brains out over this. Security is no longer the top issue – until we're attacked again – and there are crying needs at home that McCain is silent on how or if he would try to fix them. In our "me first" society the squeeking wheel gets the votes and the economy is now squeeking the loudest. Many see no link between staying in Iraq and being safe at home. Pretty much everyone now agrees that Bush really kicked a skunk when we went into Iraq. Now we either stay and pore more billions down the drain or pull out short term and pay hell down the road. Some choice.
john mccain supports the war and the failed policies of the bush administration. here's a news flash for john boy. vietnam ended in a loss. being the vietnam vet that i am, i can say honestly..nothing hurt worse and nothing will ever overcome it. iraq is another type war headed down the same road and the the american people know it. get over it mccain, there is no winning in iraq and never will be. WE are the problem in iraq. you don't win hearts and minds (like we heard in vietnam, korea , et.al.) by bombing them and holding them at gunpoint for democracy. mccain will cost himself the election..
Of course he is right, Jack. There are people who are against the war and its a big majority compared to those supporters and this would be the difference in the general election because of this tragic mis-led war.
After the damage done by 43, the likelihood of McCain winning are between Slim and None, and None left town last term. Get real, let's forget the deficit and economy woes, let's for the 4,000 dead in Iraq, let's forget our education and infrastructure systems are shot. With all that forgotten, we have alienated ourselves from [virtually] every country, we have no goodwill in the global community. Here's the big problem, almost all off our problems (global warming, oil, trade, etc) require global solutions!
So I guess the smart thing to do is put the chip off the ole Bush in office and lets see if we can keep the entire Middle East ticked at us. (now ask me how I really feel about it!)
Rockford, IL
John MCcain is as old and useless as this war is.....makes me want to lose my lunch and not in a good way.....GO JOHN GO GO AWAY FAR FAR AWAY
Becky in Kentucky.......
Everyone in Washington caused this war in a mass effort not to come off as non-patriotic. Now everyone wants to bail out and point the finger of blame. John McCain and George Bush are the only two willing to take responsibility for their original stance on this issue. The only way McCain can win this election is to make false promises about how rich he can make us, because thats all anyone cares about anyway. When I think about the feeling I had deep in my stomachon 911, I feel ill. I can`t believe that nobody cares about the security of our country anymore. Let`s all ignore the fact that Iraq is a hot bed of terrorist activity,and bring our troops home. Then with the guidance of President Obama we can fight the rest of our wars right here at home, where it dosen`t cost as much.
McCain is going to loose well before Iraq issues rise. Once the two nominees are selected, McCain is going to loose his cool and wig out like the old man he is when Obama or Clinton attack him. People are going to loose interest in him and realize he is nothing more then a old politician. But then again, so are Obama and Clinton.
sure, i don'tknow anyone that isn't. if barack hussuien obama and mccain are the two canidates why go out to vote. we'll have no better than we got now. MCcain will bring out the SWIFTBOAT BOYS and obama will be the sinking ship by the time they get through with him. Clinton (a woman) can't say anything .the republicans don't care what the media says. I'm a democrat and will not be voting if barack hussein obama gets nominated. the people should thank the CLINTON'S for the good years they gave us and I for one will always think of themas hero's for so many be people..it's sad to see the people getting so wraped up with the bright lights and wild music and dirty dancing....CLINTON 08
Damm straight any republican candidate is going to be tied to the success or failure in Iraq. Proving that that party is pro choice when come to preemptive war. They will pay the political price for that decision to go war with a country that was not a direct threat to the sovereignty of the US.
If John McCain wants to make this election about the war, I am happy to let him. He is so out of touch with the American people it is not even funny. If this election becomes about staying in Iraq vs. getting out, the Democrats win in a landslide. The American people want out of Iraq – everyone can see it but those who haven't gotten the message to take off their "W" Glasses.
Yes! The public is tired of a war we did not want, wants it over and our troops home. McCain increasingly attaches himself and his campaign to the war. Tying his campaign to an unpopular war is the equivalent of acting like an ostrich; sticking his head in the sand with his tail end in the air to be kicked around.
John in Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Whats going on with Hillary? She's always attacking Barack Obama saying he's offering false hope. She might need to take another look at her campaign and at the last 11 losses.maybe she's offering false hope.
Yes, McCain will lose because of the increased violence that will come in Iraq the weeks before the November election. In an attempt to influence the US election, Iraqis on all sides of the conflict will escalate their attacks to get the US occupiers to leave.
And Jack, about the 100-year comment - has anyone mentioned the US troops that have been in the Philippines for the last 100 years?
McCain loses no matter what happens in Iraq, but it will all have to do with Iraq. If things continue to get better, then everyone will see that there is no reason to continue our presence there. If things start to go bad again, everyone will be reminded of how we got there in the first place, and anyone not wanting to get our men and women out will be linked to Bush even more than now.
Yes, he will lose the election because of the war but not in the way Jack posed the question. McCain will lose because he said that it was possible that we could be in this war for the next hundred years. He really believes that is possible!!
Yep and over the company he keeps..Bush and Bush and company. Hes a scarey little man with a warmongering attitude.
I do not agree with McCain on this. I am an Independent who supports Hillary Clinton, but I am 100% Against Obama. I would rather have McCain handle Iraq than Obama. Obama will botch the pull-out and I have a feeling that he will go back on his word to pull troops out. I saw exactly what Obama saw, going into Iraq in 2003, but I do not trust someone who cannot write his own speeches or make his own decisions - very few of his specifics are his own, they are Edwards's, Clinton's, even McCain's (see George W. Bush's last 7 years).
He very well could be right unless he is up against Obama.The republicans will bring out all the non votes and all the plageristic speeches along with his lack of experance in a big way.And it could be all over for the dems.
His election is tied closely to the fortunes of the Iraqi war, and didn't he make it that way? Mr. McCain used the "surge" issue at every chance he could in order to push the point that HE is the war President. And, it worked! It then would only be right, that it also is the issue that sinks him! Without this issue to push, Jack, Mr. McCain is just another OLD, OLD Senator.
John McCain will lose the election because of the Iraq war and his continued insistence on staying the course there. The Republicans are not listening to the American voters who want our troops out of the Iraq disaster. Does he have a "winning" strategy on Afghanistan? I haven't heard him mention it and we're losing ground there too. I plan to have a party to celebrate when Bush and Cheney are finally out of office. I don't want them replaced with the same old tired terrorism politics.
Jack,
I don't think it does justice to compare John McCain's success in his presidential run, to the amount of hard work and sacrifices our military has made in Iraq. He supported the so called "surge" that really has been effective, so far, in Iraq. But, I do not believe that just because he supported the surge, he is now the right man for Washington. There is a lot more to him than just supporting a war plan, that he had very little to do with, in the planning.
Roy
Beardstown, IL
John McCain will lose this race not because he has tied it to a failed Iraq policy, but because he is heir apparent to an utterly failed administration. He will either have to stand up for the grievous behavoir of Mr. Bush or decry it, but neither strategy will win him enough support to land the job.
Jack, been waiting for this type of question for a long time, McCain is so far off base on this issue he is not even at the ball park yet. America has been played like a fool in Iraq by the enemy, first they got y'all to fight them in their back yard where they could easily plant IED's and have you spend billions, Then they control the numbers of soldiers they wanted to kill, then they control the wooden politicians, then they controled the oil, then they controled insurgents, hell Jack they are in control. So now they make it look like they are loosing hopping for a McCain win then 'Bang" up go the killings causing McCain to send in more troops spending even more Billions. Should Obama win and withdrawal they just kill each other in a battle that they were prepared for in the first place.
David
Dartmouth N.S.
Memo from John McCain.
Let me you tell you "My Friends" I've been in this war business a long time and I know what I'm talking about.
I'm staying the "Bush way or the Highway" and even if it takes a hundred years.
Oh buy the way I'm picking Jeb Bush for my Vice President.
Jerry
Roselle, Illinois
Mccain doesnt have the sense god gave a turkey. He says success in Iraq will be soon. The next min he says we will be there 100 yrs. Who does this guy think he is? He ain't the Dalai Llama that's for sure.
Jack,
The debate is not about "Surge" Mr. McCain. It is about how the person who wants to be our commander in chief voted for the wrong war. When our troops needed him as veteran to ask tough questions, he voted to send them to Irak without proper equipments. The questions for McCain are: What is our mission in Irak? "We are winning my friends, we are winning BUT AGAINST ?????
Did know that McCain as a license to send the troops to fight the wrong war at the wrong time!!!
Chantilly, Virginia
Yes, if he doesn’t promise to leave Iraq as soon as possible I will not vote for him. That goes for every candidate. Next, a professional journalist, an oxymoron in itself, would of honored McCain’s immediately request to retract the “I’ll Lose” remark.
There is more to this election than the Iraq war. Has Mc Cain forgotten about our economy, healthcare, our tainted imported food supply, pharmaceuticals, toys? When are we going to hear his answers on these? Mc Cain is a one-trick pony.
Jack, as a Southern Rednck all I say is YEP!
John McCain has a respectable past, but he has no future as President. The only change he would bring to the Oval Office is the name on the door. This war was lost long ago and only the delusional think there is anything left to win. Obviously, most Americans aren't delusional.
Hi Jack:
Mr. McCain tends to put his foot in his mouth too much. I doubt Iraq would be the only issue that would cause him to lose the election.
Ron K. San Diego
jack as we say in wisconsin- ubetcha
Since we're in Iraq to teach democracy, let's have the Iraqi people vote to see if they want us to stay. The outcome of their vote (which according to all polls, they want us out) will give the politicans of this country a way to "save face" and withdraw all our troops. The surge is only working because the main Shiite leader has had a ceasefire in effect for months. If that ceasefire ends, the surge will be shown to be the propaganda that it really is.
Losing becuase of Iraq? That's only the tip of the iceberg. Let's see, he's admitted he doesn't understand the economy, he has lobbyists in his briefcase (and who knows where else), sixty percent of american's don't approve of the war anyway, and his age definately doesn't work for him. The republican party would have been better off with Romney.
Jack, I'm not sure it matters for McCain, he's an old war horse, representing a war that never should have been, enough said. Brian, ohio
Jack,
McCain might as well be re-arranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic at this point.
Clay
Louisville
the answer to the question is YES he is CORRECT. "100 years in Iraq" McCain's goose is cooked.
btw, Joe, New Jersey said "Depends on who he’s running against."
I think it's more important that his supply of "Depends" holds out throughout the campaign!!!
McCain is like a monkey trying to molest a football. He wins the republican nomination if he is in favor of the war, but at the same time loses the general election. So he will need to dance, sing , and whistle his way through the mine fields of Bush failures that he has supported. Good luck John!
Jerry Wilson
Jack: Mcain knows he is taking a risk in losing the election, especially after saying we could be there for "a hundred years" and when folks are being pummeled with "change, change, change." He should clarify his outlook on the future of the war and tell Americans exactly how he (really) proposes to bring an end to it. This is not the time for Mcain to be vague! The alternative is change for the sake of change an embarrasing withdrawl and a potentially catastrophic escalation in radical Islamist movements around the world! Clinton would certainly see to it! Obama?...who knows? If Mcain loses only on the basis of his stance on Iraq...America will continue to see more problems than just the Iraq war!
He could, Jack. It's a position he has a high opinion, as does the rest of the country. However, most of the people I talk to say that the War in Iraq doesn't affect who they support. Only time will tell.
The surge is working, but the Iraqi Government is not doing their part, as agreed to.
He does need to send a solid message to their government, and then the world, with this question? Are they really willing to make the compromises necessary to come together for the good of their people?
Of course. We've had a self-proclaimed "war president" for eight years, and heaven knows we don't need another one.
Jack,
He's going to lose the election because he doesn't have an opponent to debate and gain a lot of media coverage like both Democrate are getting. He's out of sight and out of mind to most people, wheras the Demcrate running mates are in the news daily
Dear Jack,
It isn't just Iraq. It's his inability to admit, not just to the American people, but to HIMSELF that going to Iraq in the first place has no justification. It's his decision to dangle a $50 p/hr paycheck to union leaders that he claims they would never take ,because the work is just too hard, they're just too pampered, and just too lazy to do jobs Illegal Immigrants are supposedly better at.
It's that he eludes to all these things and at the same time pretends to represent Americans rather than John McCain, adn that he is just now getting it is no suprise because most politicians are anyways.
Jack,
The effect of the war in Iraq has already predetermined that no Republican of any stripe will sit in the White house next year. Unless of course Bush declares martial law, and suspends elections.
Personally I'm hoping for the latter. I will at last have a chance to fight back.
McCain is in a very tight box. To get the nomination he has had to pander to the right wing of the republican party.
Continued tax cuts to the ultra wealthy, trade agreements that undermine our economic health, a health plan that coninues to enrich the drug companies and health insurance companies, and all the neanderthal conservative unsocial issues.
What else exactly is he suppose to tie his candidacy to and present to the american public.
He SHOULD lose the election over the Iraq issue. And the Iran issue. And the tax cut issue. And every other position that makes his potential presidency a 3rd Bush term.
Yup – he's history – The Iraq war isn't really going as well as you boys in the "media" try to tell us. Bush and Co. will throw all the Patriotic crap at us that they can – plus some more terror scares – just to gain some sympathy votes – any 2 yr old would have know Bush was lying in his 2003 State of the Union – just look at his eyes and body "English" – he and Cheney preyed on Congress to get their way and get that "Patriotic" vote. Rove and the Swift Boat Boys will strike again – I sure hope the American people have grown up and realize they've been lied to and manipulated.
HE NOT ONLY COULD LOOSE, HE WILL LOOSE BECAUSE OF HIS STANCE ON THE IRAQ WAR.
Jack, this one is another attempt by a politician to deceive the American people to win the election. MecCain as an experienced politician understands the risk of running for president while supporting 100 years in Iraq and as the general election comes closer; he and his lobbyist advisors are trying to change their tone in order to appeal for 70% of the population who opposes the war in Iraq.
Tammy
MN
One word – Diebold.
Mr. Cafferty,
By announcing to the public that the government will continue to throw both money and lives into the war in Iraq, Sen. McCain has set his own stage. Americans are tired and beat down. Everyday people in this country hear "voices of change", "stop the war and the money can be put back into our own economy", and "the Iraqi leadership is unable to move forward and resolve their own internal issues". So it seems clear that this issue has been branded to his a** by his own hands.
Well, that's about the only thing John McCain has said or done that is right.
The gop lost in a thumpin on Iraq in 06. I doubt they will make the same mistake twice. w will end military missions in Iraq after Clinton, the fighter, strong on national security and knocked out of the race thanks to corporate media like Jack quoting Peggy Noonan's hit piece on the air.
This will make McSurge right on Iraq, strong on national security vs weak on national security, Iraq not an issue in this election and Obama will lose when the corporate media and RW run over him.
Nothing will change.
Thanks Jack.
John McCain could lose this election over the Iraq War. The media has not covered the surge strategy at all and has consistently said that the war is awful and failing. Unless the media shuts up about Obama's "greatness" and how bad the war is, we'll get stuck with Obama.
The Republican frontrunner still suffers from the delusion of wishful thinking.
I think many people are misunderstanding his 100 years in Iraq statement. We still have a military presence in Japan and Germany for the last sixty years. I do not see the difference in those two and Iraq. I believe that if McCain can clarify his statement he will beat Obama or Clinton. Neither of the two Democrates have military experience and do not know what it is like to fight for the country the way McCain has. Who else would be better to lead our military than someone who was born on a military base and grew up with two admirals for a father and grandfather and someone who was a Captain in the Navy. When it comes to war Obama and Clinton don't have a clue
Jack, I don't see how McCain can win with that war issue, weather or not we are doing good or ok. or great, the point is get out now, or a.s.a.p. and start talking about how to end the over powering of other nations! he get an A for effort.
Is he right? No, Jack. He'll lose the election because of his mouth.
The only thing that I don't like about Senator McCain is his stance on the war. If it weren't for that issue, I would be willing to vote for him. It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of people feel that way. His success is absolutely tied to the war issue in my opinion.
Jack, if that is the only thing McCain is banking on to win this election, he will certainly lose. The majority of Americans want out of Iraq, and unless something major happens to turn the tide in the middle east around in a positive way, this stance is a lost one.
Not could lose. Will lose.
The only way McCain will lose this election is if more people vote for Obama.
That is one of the ways McCain could lose, yes. But the fact that he may be running against either the first woman Presidential nominee who's associated with one of the most popular modern American Presidents, or the first African-American Presidential nominee who's running a campaign of hope, means that McCain is just out of his league.
Jack,
Iraq is one of the many issues that McCain, like Hillary, will lose. They represent the old Washington political style. We need a breath of fresh air, and that, Mr. Cafferty, is why Obama is taking this nation by storm.
McCain will lose if the Iraq War situation is salient among voters, which would thus be when the situation is dire. If things in Iraq continue to improve, it'll be the economy on voters minds, in which case McCain'll still lose.
Mc Cain has no chance of winning the election, regardless of the Iraq war. If you look at the turnout in the past primaries and caucuses, the evidence is clear: a Democrate will win. Thank God.
If he runs against Sen. Obama he will lose. He simply can not defend his position against a man who voted against the invasion. But, if he runs against Sen. Clinton he could win. He needs merely to point out her initial support and then paint her as flip flopping on the issue for political gain.
St. Marys, GA
Well Jack,
Absolutely! He's likely to lose even if the war goes well. He's seen as a moderate in his own party and his take against the Bush Tax Cuts only made it worse for him. He doesn't have a large enough support base to win the election in November. Go Barack Obama!
Sure, John McCain went against the majority of Americans, and he did risk his entire campaign on this. But he was right! General Petreaus has said that violence is drastically down, but we still have a lot of work to do. The issue of who voted for or against the war no longer matters. We are still at war, and we need someone who has the leadership to lead DURING a war. The only candidate who has proven this was Senator John McCain. He did risk his whole campaign on the surge, and it was a success. I don't listen to whether Hillary or Obama call it a failure, I listen to the generals on the ground in Iraq who call it a success!
McCain is going to lose over his support for the Iraq war and his 100 year comment. The vast majority of the American public want the troops to come home as quickly as possible.
Paula Daub
Kansas City, MO
I certainly hope so! The last thing the nation needs is an endless war. We are having enough trouble paying for the one we've had up to now.
He is and he will.
Hell Jack, I didn't think John McCain needed another reason to lose the race.
Atlanta....yes...100 years in Iraq..where will He be in 100 years?????
OH JACK
He can not lose something he never won. His support of the war has sealed his fate. next question please.
John McCain had already lost the Presidency when the two Bushes endorsed him.
Yes! McCain's political future is and should be tied to the War in Iraq. It is interesting to me that he considers where we are in Iraq as a success. It does not take a rocket scientist to determine that if you increase the number of troops they will be better able to deal with the various threat in the region but that in no what constitutes success.
Well Jack, the fact that McCain is saying that he would continue the war in Iraq has already lost him the presidential cabinet. No one would vote for him if he thinks war is the best way to spread democracy like his brother George Bush thinks. You want to know something Jack, McCain is not going to win the Presidential race.
Jack:
Time and time again we have watched the news and were not surprized that the vast majority of the American people disapprove of how the Iraq war has been handled–over two-thirds do not buy into the war and want it over. How is any candidate able to reverse that, especially when there is obvious intent to stay in Iraq? Staying the course may not go for as long as 100 years–one more year is still one year too many!!! Go figure!!!
Of course he's right. Too many people are against this war, which they should be! He needs to show the surge is working and troops will be coming home in a timely manner...NOT 100 YEARS !!!
I have my doubts if the surge is working, or if it has more to do
with al Sadr calling off his dogs for the past 6 months. If he calls off the cease fire like he has threatened to do and casualties go up, McCain will be proved wrong and will certainly lose the election.
Jack, McCain is clearly a prophet...and his prophecy is self-fulfilling...over and out!
Jack,
I believe he could get defeated because of his stand. The question is not can he get defeated, but why did we get there in the first place. Not one person has the fortitude to ask the tough questions of "all" of those that voted to allow the United States to make a pre-emptive strike on a soverign power, whether the country was good or in this case bad. The war and tax reduction just do not make good sense for the American People
He is going to lose the election, period. This year is for the Democrats.
Yes!!!
Cheri
This is my day to listen to you, Jack!
McCain could lose over Iraq, but he might have a fighting chance if you and yours would stop praising Obamo for opposing the war. Obamo was NOT in the US Senate at the time of the vote, so what he said then is no more important than what I said then.
Brooke
Ruckersville, Va
McCain says the surge is succeeding.
There are 600 insurgent attacks , 75 US soliders and a thousand Iraqis killed every month in Iraq.
This is a definition of success I have not been previously made aware of..
I am a voting supporter of Clinton. However, I do not neccessarily agree with the war side of her or any other demorcrats campaign. I do however, feel that tactics to help improve our country will carry over into the overall solution of the Iraq war. I understood McCain's "100 year" idea, and feel that we have a lot more to lose if we end too soon then pulling out once we have finished our job. It's an issue of who takes control, and I believe the Iraq government needs to come to the plate. If we pull out too early, we're just bringing it back home, which I hope not, but could lead to another 9/11.
Chesapeake, VA
i do not think he'll lose because of this statement...
i do believe that if obama is the nominee he has a great chance at claiming the white house... once america sees how underqualified obama is on national security, independants and democrats will flock to mccain by the millions
It is one of the factors that will way on many people's minds when they vote. But the interesting thing is that nobody has mentioned that in 36 years we will have been in Europe as a military entity for 100 years! (boots at Normandy as the starting point) Not hard to think about being in Iraq for 100 years since most everyone alive today will be dead then!
Yes he will lose , you can only stick your foot in your mouth so many times and this one will do it
I believe the Iraq war has already played a hand in his success. When he said that we'd be in Iraq for another 100 years, I crossed party lines to support Obama. There is no way we should have been in Iraq from the beginning. It was not a good decision, and I believe we need to pull out of Iraq. We need to focus on Afghanistan and the capture of Bin Laden. Lest we forget 9/11...
If McCain continues his current stnace on Iraq, I believe he will be even a bigger part of history than he already is the part that watched the first woman or minority elected to the highest office (either would be a great positive and I believe our country is ready for change).
McCain will lose the presidential race if he continues with his stance on Iraq. Simply he, like Bush, is not listening to public concerns, so why would Americans vote for someone who can not hear and represent the people's wishes.
Just making this statement shows how out of touch he is with the heartbeat of America. Surge / No Surge, doesn't make a difference. We are still dying in Iraq and still supporting a suspect govt.
The IRaqi people don't want us there (not the ones in power) and we don't want to be there. I would vote for Bozo the clown before I would vote for a candidate that wants us to stay in Iraq!
Foreign policy is one of the most important aspects of the executive branch. Senator McCain's policy is outdated. The world is moving toward collaboration and unity. His policies, and even statements such as "bomb, bomb, bomb, Iran" are embarassing and offensive. We do not live in a bubble and the rest of the world is relevant and watching. Whether or not he will lose, he "should" lose.
Jack, lets do an comparision of other american wars...Where we still fighting insurgents 5 years after the civil war, 5 years after World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War? Answer is NO, what is the measure of success 100 years after the war is over. His comment we will stay there for that long using the comparision of Germany and Korea is so wrong its beyond rediculous!!!
US citizens have had enough of a war with no end in sight in a country whos people kill themselves without a blink of an eye. It's time we thought seriously about foreign policy and conclude that force never has and never will do anyone any good. We need to get along in the world. It's time to grow up and stand up to the co-operate giants who rule in Washington. The greed that takes us where we need not go. When is enough enough? We've reach it, here and now.
Thanks Jack..
Iraq is the issue that separates John McCain from the Democrats. Besides that, he is just as liberal as Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. If he cannot prove that he was correct about Iraq, he has no issue to run on and will loose all Republican support.
Yes, I do believe John McCain is dead right on this one! This might be the only thing I and a lot of other fellow Democrats agree with him on.
Jack, I am so tired of these warmongering Republicans! Everytime one gets in office, it's like he feels that he has to play Ronald Regan. There was only one cowboy in Hollywood that became president and John McCain needs to leave the drama to the pro's. He's right though. This race will be decided by the Iraq war. Those who want peace and tired of our soldiers dying or being maimed, or those who want to find another way... you know that lil old thing called PEACE,
The simple answer is YES, YES and YES. He represents Iraq and the failure of Iraq is the failure of McCain. Yes Iraq is a failure, an unnecessary war. Yes McCain represents the war and its failure.
He's not if the Dems realize that the surge is only working about 5 years too late. Come on. How could we be fighting a war since 2002 and are just now sttarting to see results in 2007? That's the stupid's defense ever and I can't believe no one has mentioned this point yet. If McClain thinks he needs to continue then maybe he should run for President over there because we need a President who's going to worry about us and not Iraq.
Obama may have been against the Iraq war, but....he was not in the Senate when the vote was taken! The war started in 2003....Obama was seated in 2005! So let's not give him too much credit on this issue.
Jack,
I think John McCain is talking himself into a corner on Iraq. It is one thing to be consistent in your statements and philosophy but making statements like the U.S. being there for a hundred years simply undermines his ability to attract moderate voters. He will get the far right votes simply becasue he is running against a Democrat. He doesn't need to pander to the far right with these ill-advised statements.
Absolutely McCain's fate is tied to Iraq. The real question is how many voters still think that the Iraq occupation is worth it. Some voters opinion depends on what happens in Iraq, I hope that most voters realize, by now, that no outcome there is worth the cost.
Jim, Craig, CO
If we are lucky. McCain is a jerk. How can a man who wants to be President embrace anything Bush had to do with? How smart is that?
Doesn't he know that the Shrub 's approval rating is 23....and to embrace the man who tore into McCain's wife a few years back does not respect his own wife or women.
What really is going to kill McCain's run is that he shows that voting for him is voting for 4 more years of Bush. When he was a strait shooter, he was standing up to Bushes policies, now he embraces them. Why do the Repubs still try to depict him as beyond reproach, not look at the legal problems he has. Why do Repubs think ignoring things makes them go away, or making things up makes them true, enough. Please people, don't do this to the country again.
I think that McCain was "channeling" his Higher Self when he made his "I'll lose" comment that he quickly retracted. HIs subconscious knows what is right – and it isn't the war in Iraq. They say the Universe is intelligent – more than McCain can say for himself. The only people who will vote for him are (1) those who do not research their candidates and believe only what is fed to them or (2)Halliburton and other companies are who benefit from the war or (3) parents of soldiers slain in Iraq who do not want to face the fact as to why their sons and daughters went to war. Pottsville, PA
Of course he could lose the election over this. In fact, it would probably BE the reason. He has made it plain that his interest in the economy and the plight of most of us are not his main areas of focus. Security and his idea that terrorism is the be all and end all of our future will either resonate or not, with Americans. We all know his straight talk express stuff is bogus. And the administration and McCain's fellow war-mongers keep lowering the bar for the measures of "success" of any shift in tactics with this debaucle. A six month surge and the reports of political success are so tiny... well, at this rate it WOULD take a century. And naturally there is less violence when there are more soldiers. DUH. My biggest fear is that there will be some trumped up crisis from the Republicans, shortly before the election, and the sheep in this country will run bleating behind the war hero's record, thinking flexing muscles will protect us from terrorist attacks from borders that continue to be open from the north and from the seas. They don't come from Mexico, folks. McCain will certainly win or lose based on Americans' perception and prioritization with regard to Iraq and Afghanistan. Let's not start on Afghanistan.
Absolutely, but only because the American people don't understand that withdrawing from Iraq is not the same as not going to war in the first place. We need to focus on *successfully* withdrawing from Iraq and McCain is the only candidate capable of doing that.
Jack, McCain lost this race before he started it. He is joined at the hip with that Idiot Bush. He will continue the Bush adjenda of finishing off the U.S. and tank whats left of any respect we have in the world. God help us if he does win.
Yes John McCain is right. Maybe he has finally heard the voice of the American people. The vast majority of Americans oppose this war and have for years. The "surge" did not acheive its stated goal of giving the Iraqi government an opportunity to get their act together and begin taking over their own country simply because you put two of them together in one room and you get three opinions. These guys have been at it for centuries and only a srong oppressor like Saddam can keep them from killing each other. A little late John, our next President will not be you.
America loves a winner. And since the Iraq war has not produced a winning streak for the USA, impatience grew thin and the Democrats capitalized on this sentiment. The war in Iraq is clearly part of a larger plan in America's global engagement with terrorism. Perhaps Saddam Hussein hd nothing to do with terrorism at that time but now that he has been gotten rid of, leaving Iraq creates a vaccuum which will be quickly filled by the forces detrimental to America's security interests globally. A complete withdrawal from Iraq must be weighed against the consequences of leaving Iraq to America's regional interests and abandonment of its Allies. America will be seen as a coward to have caused a mess and it leaves without cleaning up. That is a mark of a weak leader.
The Iraq War was sold to us as part of the war on terror. It wasn't- and it has only created a new generation of Islamic extremists who hate us. The fact that both Sen McCain and Sen Clinton failed to understand and articulate the difference between the Iraq War and the War on Terror suggests either a failing of the head or the backbone. Either way, neither would make a good President.
Jack, you do not give mccain enough credit for bravely defying public opinion in order to support the troop surge, which is showing results. We have been in Japan for over sixty years and similarly, in this conflict we will have to keep troops in the region permanently. Those are just the facts, and John McCain is just telling the honest truth.