Posted on 08/20/2006 11:54:51 AM PDT by jmc1969
U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., says the United States is not winning the war in Iraq and he still thinks more troops are needed on the ground.
McCain, a possible GOP presidential candidate in 2008, appeared Sunday on NBC News' "Meet the Press."
Asked whether the United States was winning the war, McCain said, "I don't think so, but I'm not sure that it's turned into a civil war ... I think it's been well documented now that we didn't have enough (troops) there from the beginning, that we allowed the looting, that we did not have control, particularly ... (in areas such as) the Sunni Triangle, which led to us paying a very heavy price."
McCain said U.S. troops must be able to deal with the insurgency, particularly Shiite militias.
He reaffirmed his stand that U.S. troops should not withdraw. "I want to emphasize that we cannot lose this," McCain said. "It will cause chaos in Iraq and in the region, and ... we must prevail."
Is he talking about the looting that didn't actually occur?
Schmuck.
About as much of a chance as Lieberman is for the Democratic ticket...
U.S. troops can deal with the insurgency, but idiot politicians are keeping one hand tied behind their back all the time, and appearing on TV with ill-informed statements like we aren't winning.
Plus it's not for U.S. troops to deal with, but more for the Iraqis - political and religious leaders, and the police/army.
I can't bear that liberal media uses McCain in every poll against Hitlery, Gore or someone else. Our frontrunner will be Rudy Giuliani, which is a r.i.n.o., but surely not a traitor.
I don't like McCain, but he is obviously right.
Why is Muqtada al-Sadr still walking around? Why did we not kill him in Najaf when we had the opportunity? Why did we ever allow Falluja to become a terrorist stronghold, allowing the "insurgency" to gain significant strength? Why are Sunni populations that obviously oppose our goals in Iraq allowed to harbor and support "insurgents" with virtually no penalty?
Not that I support creating "Islamic democracy" anyway, but if it had any chance of success it required actually fighting to win. Note to President Bush - win first, the hearts and minds stuff can come later.
with the beach-head and regional HUMINT we have established and maintained over the last 3 years in a region like the ME, why do politiciams insist on pretending that there is a war in Iraq that we must win or run from?
The truth is that the US is not at "war" with or in Ieaq.....it is prestaged for a real war to come in the region or a deterrent to one......
Well you know what, Mr. McCain? With everything so dicey right now, I'm sure glad it is GB in the white house and not you.
OK GOP is having this nutcase in for a fundraiser in September. They can take it to the bank that they are not getting one penny of mine to see this guy. They couldn't pay me to go see him.
He is at odds with Sen Inhofe and yet OK GOP went out and got him for a speaker!
Dumb if you ask me!
Because the Iraqi people support him, an insurgency only gets as far, as popular support.
Take the cuffs off the military. The only similarity between Iraq and Vietnam is that the politicians, and this time, the senile morons on our courts, have handcuffed our military. TAKE THE CUFFS OFF!!! Let the military do what it has to do. Let's go back to the real definition of "torture" and knock off all the goofy PC bovine scatology. This is a war for the lives of Americans.
Memo to you and McCain:
Saddam Hussein is in jail waiting to be executed. His socialist Baathist Party is dead. Iraq has a new Constitution, free elections and a new government. Iraq has a huge natural resource (oil) which it can use to build a strong, free-market economy. The enemy has been reduced to making terrorist attacks against civilians, and planting bombs on roads.
But I agree with McCain that more troops are needed: to finally put the lid on all the terrorists' coffins in Iraq.
How about the Iraqi responsibility for their own freedom? If they toss it away we cannot force it on them.
McCain whining in U.S.
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