McCain says Bush led US to believe Iraq would be a "day at the beach"

[OzarkDem]

I'm not sure McCain is helping DeWine much here. I guess McCain and DeWine are running away from Bush and the Iraq Debacle...


COLUMBUS, Ohio - Republican Sen. John McCain, a staunch defender of the Iraq war, on Tuesday faulted the Bush administration for misleading Americans into believing the conflict would be "some kind of day at the beach."

The potential 2008 presidential candidate, who a day earlier had rejected calls for withdrawing U.S. forces, said the administration had failed to make clear the challenges facing the military.

"I think one of the biggest mistakes we made was underestimating the size of the task and the sacrifices that would be required," McCain said. "Stuff happens, mission accomplished, last throes, a few dead-enders. I'm just more familiar with those statements than anyone else because it grieves me so much that we had not told the American people how tough and difficult this task would be."



http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/iraq/15333454.htm

[MichiganVote]

1. Oh so now John McCain is a victim too??? Yeah right.

[AnnInLa]

2. Proof that MCain is a LIAR

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/08/22/mccain-hypocrisy/

McCain appropriately criticizes the administration for painting an unrealistic picture of the situation in Iraq, but he conveniently neglects to mention his own rosy assessments as he was cheerleading the nation to war. While McCain hopes the public will see this as another example of his “straight talk,” here are some quotes that McCain wants you to forget:

Hardball, 3/12/03:

MATTHEWS: Are you one of those who holds up an optimistic view of the post-war scene? Do you believe that the people of Iraq or at least a large number of them will treat us as liberators?

MCCAIN: Absolutely. Absolutely.

MATTHEWS: And you think the Arab world will come to a grudging recognition that what we did was necessary? I mean by that the modern Arab leaders, the people that we have to deal with.

MCCAIN: Not only that, they’ll be relieved that he’s not in the neighborhood because he has invaded his neighbors on several occasions.

Hardball, 3/24/03:

MATTHEWS: Do you think it’s working? Do you think we’ll shake them — shake them to the roots so they will give up eventually and avoid a huge bloodbath of people?

MCCAIN: I don’t know how long they’ll hang out. 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. But there’s no doubt in my mind that we will prevail and there’s no doubt in my mind, once these people are gone, that we will be welcomed as liberators. These guys are the real bad guys and they’re telling everybody, we’re going to shoot you and so, of course, we’re not being welcomed cause they’ve got people that will kill them if they do. Once that’s done, I’m confident.

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/08/22/mccain-hypocrisy/

[Bucky]

5. Devastating find. Typical two-faced ass-covering insider politics.

[cornermouse]

3. Dear John.

You were a POW in Vietnam and yet you believed Bush about Iraq? Perhaps you need to make an appointment for a check up. This could be a sign of early Alzheimers.

[Bucky]

4. This is a clear sign McCain is running for President. It means only that.

Wow, another Republican distancing himself from Bush to avoid voter backlash. How is this even newsworthy?

[Solly Mack]

6. Gee, McCain, it couldn't possibly be that the US invaded Iraq for lies

But you don't want to address that do you , McCain? No, it's safer for politicians like yourself to pretend that conditions in Iraq are because Bush didn't prepare the nation properly or that he used the wrong strategy. People like you, McCain, want to pretend that had we just done something differently or had we just prepared the people more or if we just replace key people, that suddenly, a war based on lies will somehow, magically, become a winning proposition.


But let's not talk about how Bush lied and America invaded a country for absolutely no legitimate reason.