John McCain has decided to put himself forward as the guy who has REALLY been around the block -- the steady old hand that we need, as opposed to the big-talking rube he's running against.
And nowhere has McCain touted his wisdom and experience more than on matters of war and peace. According to McCain, it's downright dangerous to have someone as green as Barack Obama in charge of our military, and our very security. We need John McCain, steady old hand, who knows what's what when it comes to the most important decisions we'll face.
...And by God, that John McCain is a straight talker, too! Not only will he bring his enormous, unparalleled experience to bear... the man will tell us the damned truth, whether it makes him popular or not! This is ESPECIALLY true when it comes to grave matters of war, peace, security, and the lives of our soldiers.
Unlike most politicians, the maverick known as John McCain would NEVER pander and say one thing in matters of war and peace, only to contradict himself when it seems convenient and politically --
"We had not told the American people how tough and difficult this could be. It has contributed enormously to the frustration that Americans feel today because they were led to believe this could be some kind of day at the beach." [McCain in Columbus Ohio, Press Conference, aired on CNN, 8/22/06]
VS.
2002
McCain: "And I believe that the success will be fairly easy." [CNN, Larry King Live, 9/24/02]
AND
2007
Tim Russert: "Go back, Senator, to 2002 -- the administration saying we'd be greeted as liberators." [MSNBC, 1/10/07]
2003
McCain: "There's no doubt in my mind that once these people are gone that we will be welcomed as liberators." [MSNBC, Hardball, 3/24/03]
AND
2002
McCain: "I believe that we can win an overwhelming victory in a very short period of time." [CNN Late Edition, 9/29/02]
AND
2008
Questioner: President Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq for fifty years."
McCain: "Make it a hundred... That would be fine with me, I hope it would be fine with you." [McCain Town hall in Derry, NH, 1/3/08]
2002
McCain: "We're not going get into house-to-house fighting in Baghdad." [CNN Late Edition, 9/29/02]
VS.
2003
McCain: "It doesn't take a large number of people to cause difficulties in house to house fighting- we've just seen that in southern Iraq." [MSNBC, 3/24/03]
REPEAT:
2006
McCain: "We have not told the American people how touch and difficult this task would be... they were led to believe this could be some kind of day at the beach." [CNN, 8/22/06]
****
"They were led" by who, Senator McCain?
Well, one of the people leading them to believe it had his mug on the Sunday morning political talk shows nearly every damned week for years, and his name was John McCain.
This maverick only started making slight objections when the politics of being a Bush cheerleader on Iraq started to change. Then he decided to revise his history -- which is on tape! -- and pretend he's had "concerns" all along.
But in every single solitary way that mattered then, or mattered now, McCain has not only supported Cheney and Bush on Iraq... he's been their goddamned lapdog.
