Guardian UK: McCain's Iraq fantasy

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McCain's Iraq fantasy
The Republican candidate now says US troops will leave Iraq by 2013 - a disingenuous ploy that is as unrealistic as his previous position
Dylan Loewe


May 15, 2008 6:00 PM | Printable version

After yet another crushing special election loss for the GOP, and with Obama's national numbers building strength against his rival, John McCain has realized the need to take a new direction, beginning today with a horrifyingly disingenuous speech.

McCain has consistently opposed even the slightest notion of setting a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. It had been the drumbeat that walked his weak candidacy to the doorstep of the Republican nomination. He has even, to his dismay, suggested that we may stay in Iraq for 100 years, a quote that has made its way into Democratic stump speeches and commercials.

McCain has argued that the characterization is unfair, that in fact, he was describing a scenario akin to Germany or Korea, in which the United States has a peaceful presence in Iraq, in the absence of the kind of violence to which we have all become accustomed. Of course, such a formulation demonstrates a dramatic divergence from reality. Iraq has never been, nor will it ever be, analogous to Germany or Korea, neither of which had the kind of deep-seeded sectarian violence that we see in Iraq. Moreover, it is our occupation of the Middle East that has served to increase the level of violence, as well as the recruiting aims of al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations. Our presence is the underlying cause. That John McCain believes a long term occupation of Iraq could provide stability to the region is sufficient evidence that John McCain does not understand the world around him.

What's worse is that, even taking his formulation at face value, McCain is claiming a willingness to keep our troops in Iraq, no matter the loss in life, for however long it takes to eventually have no more loss of life. The silenced names on the Vietnam Memorial know the value of such a policy.

As a result, McCain has decided to break with his own precedent, and to claim that, unlike all of his previous statements, he expects an end to the Iraq war by the end of his first term. In a major address today, McCain envisions that, by January 2013, we will be welcoming most of our troops home. He sees that future as one in which "the Iraq war has been won. Iraq is a functioning democracy, although still suffering from the lingering effects of decades of tyranny and centuries of sectarian tension. Violence still occurs, but it is spasmodic and much reduced." This latest suggestion is, in its most positive light, a political ploy. And it is preconditioned on the impossible. .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/dylan_loewe/2008/05/mccains_iraq_fantasy.html