McCain Calls For Escalation In Iraq, Suggests Sending More Troops In

[NNN0LHI]

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/08/20/mccain-escalation/

On NBC’s Meet the Press this morning, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) called for immediately adding more U.S. soldiers on the ground in Iraq. Echoing the failed strategy behind the escalation during the Vietnam War, McCain suggested that putting more troops in the middle of Iraq’s civil war would help the U.S. to ultimately prevail. Watch it:

As former administration officials and military generals have noted, a larger initial force was necessary to provide security on the ground and prevent the growth of the insurgency. But at this point in the conflict, a larger force is operationally impracticable. Slate’s Fred Kaplan wrote last year that the Army could maintain its current troop levels in Iraq, but it doesn’t have the capacity to “allow George W. Bush to send more troops to Iraq and Afghanistan” unless we institute a draft.

Beyond the practical unfeasibility of sending in more troops, McCain misdiagnoses what adding more troops at this point would do to the situation on the ground. As the Center for American Progress’s Iraq redeployment strategy argues:

A more visible presence of U.S. troops risks further stoking the flames of the insurgency by feeding perceptions of long-term U.S. occupation among many Iraqis.

Full transcript below:

[leftchick]

1. how much is he making off of the occupation?

that is the only reason I can think of for him saying this.

[pinto]

2. I'm not surprised. I've had the feeling this is his take on a

"solution" and has been for a while. He wants to muscle it out, but there's still no endgame there, just a more bitter end to a bitter situation.

[jpak]

3. McCain + Draft = President Hillary Clinton

:evilgrin:

[Alacrat]

6. If stay the course is what we're stuck with( and the troops)

the least they could do is put enough troops in to get something done. I say get the hell out, but what kind of fool would stay with not enough people to do the job. That is homicide, because the fool is putting our troops in a position where they can't help but fail, through no fault of their own. When you make a decision to commit other peoples lives to do a job, you owe them everything they need to accomplish the goal, or you don't do it at all. Which would have been the smart choice. Who the fuck is waffling now georgie, do you stay and play to win, or just stay to prove you aren't a cut and run repug, and that you are the absolute little napoleon wanna be fucking dictator? Also if Mccain is just now realising we are in a fucked situation, he is just as stupid, but that really didn't need to be said.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

7. The POINT is there are not enough troops

in all of the US armed forces to "do the job."
To add troops you would just be pouring more
blood and death and mayhem on top of what is already there.

[ComerPerro]

4. Lets do it. I'm sure all those college Republicans will rush to enlist

:eyes:

[A-Schwarzenegger]

5. Gregory asked McCain how he could still support Bush's

leadership of the war in the face of all the mistakes Bush
has made in Iraq, and McCain answered by saying, Well,
MacArthur was wrong about the Chinese going into Korea.

What a pitiful performance. Are there any McCain fans
left around here?

[MichiganVote]

8. What companies support McCain???

[creeksneakers2]

9. McCain is looking ahead for when the blame comes.

Then he can say it all would have worked if they'd only listened to him.

[deacon]

10. What? There is no plan in place in Iraq besides stay the losing

course. This is a true crime, a true abuse of our armed forces by our leadership to have soldiers in the postion they are in right now. A total abuse and disgrace.

[Swamp Rat]

11. Send John McCain and all of his relatives first... and all the

college refucklicans and their families, friends, and pets.