McCain: No preemptive war pledge

[sabra]

Source: Chicago Trib

Sen. John McCain, facing criticism from Democratic opponents that his election as president represents a third term for President Bush, said today that he could not rule out a pre-emptive military strike against enemies such as the one that Bush launched against Iraq.

The presumptive Republican nominee was asked at one of his signature "town-hall'' styled campaign appearances in Westport, Conn., if he, as president, would reject "the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive war.''

"I don't think you could make a blanket statement about pre-emptive war, because obviously, it depends on the threat that the United States of America faces," the senator from Arizona told his audience at Bridgewater Associates, a global investment firm.

He did say that the U.S. must stand ready to defend against a hostile nation's attack: "If someone is about to launch a weapon that would devastate America, or have the capability to do so, obviously, you would have to act immediately in defense of this nation's national security interests,'' said McCain, noting that he would consult more closely and carefully with Congress -- "not with every member of Congress, but certainly the leaders of Congress."



Read more: http://weblogs.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/blog/2008/04/mccain_not_ruling_out_preempti.html

[acmavm]

1. Did anybody in this fucking world think that he would?????

That's was just wasted time out of my life reading this crap.

[KillCapitalism]

2. Crazy!

You would think statements like this would doom him in November, but I still say he's going to be hard to beat.

[ShockediSay]

12. This 'Maverick' is yet one more cowboy trying to get into

the White House

[Ian David]

3. Our attack against Iraq was NOT pre-emptive. It was mis-directed. n/t

[liberal N proud]

4. It always easy to start a war when you don't have to fight it yourself

You would have thought that all those years sitting in prison would have tempered his war mongering ideals.

[bemildred]

5. How about "aggressive wars of conquest"?

Will he rule out aggressive wars of conquest?

[WillParkinson]

6. He could easily make this pledge...

And then use the playground rule..."He started it!" as his justification for all his new wars.

[Winterblues]

7. or have the capability to do so,

This logic if carried out to it's fullest would allow arresting people for owning a gun because they would have the capability to shoot someone with it...Guilty before the fact a True American Ideal....

[sakabatou]

8. Hey John,

why don't we carpet-bomb the whole fucking world? I bet you'd love to see that, right?

:puke:

[barbtries]

9. dumb me, from the title i thought

he had made a pledge not to wage a preemptive war. i clicked on the thread just to say i don't believe it, and it turns out he was telling the truth.

war will be an ongoing fact of american life as long as these bastards have any power at all. i hate it.

[samsingh]

10. so more wars if mccain is in power

[knight_of_the_star]

11. How is that any different?

"If someone is about to launch a weapon that would devastate America, or have the capability to do so, obviously, you would have to act immediately in defense of this nation's national security interests,''

That sounds the same as the Bush Doctrine to me

[saigon68]

13. They are War Criminals =The Chimp and McLame