Harry Reid Hammers McCain For His "Not Too Important" Iraq Comment

[kpete]

Harry Reid Hammers McCain For His "Not Too Important" Iraq Comment
By Greg Sargent - June 11, 2008, 10:09AM

It looks as if the John McCain quote http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSaH2uyWz_I -- in which he said the timing of when the troops should come home is "not too important" -- is going to blow up into a big story today.

Harry Reid just became the first Dem to blast McCain over the comment, with his office sending over this statement...

"McCain's statement today that withdrawing troops doesn't matter is a crystal clear indicator that he just doesn't get the grave national-security consequences of staying the course -- Osama bin Laden is freely plotting attacks, our efforts in Afghanistan are undermanned, and our military readiness has been dangerously diminished. We need a smart change in strategy to make America more secure, not a commitment to indefinitely keep our troops in an intractable civil war."

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/06/harry_reid_hammers_mccain_for.php

[Enrique]

1. I predict how McCain will defend his comment

he'll say "I never said that."

[LiberalFighter]

4. I disagree. McCain will use angry, expletive-laced comments.

See McCain's blowups @ McCain's History of Blow-Ups: The Top Ten

[LiberalFighter]

5. What are the possibilities that McCain will lose it during a debate on national tv?

[LiberalFighter]

2. I think he should had used al-Qaeda instead of bin Laden...

Nobody knows for sure if bin Laden is still alive. Or maybe Bush and his assholes know and waiting to spring it at the right time. Maybe to embarrass our Democratic leaders.

[Richardo]

3. I'm sick of the manufactured outrage over obvious mis-statements.

As one who is barely articulate myself and misspeaks (and mistypes) all the time, I can relate to those who are running a grueling campaign with little or no sleep occasionally not conveying their ideas in the most clear and concise way. This goes for Barack, Michelle, Hillary and even McCain.

Factual errors are another matter - if he conflates Al Qaeda with Iranian-trained insurgents three times in one day, hit him on it, hard. A President has to know better.

We know what McCain's agenda is. We know what his policies are. I say hit those and knock off the manufactured indignation over mere mis-statements. Knock off the gotchas.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

6. I generally agree with your sentiment

Several Democrats, and Obama in particular, have too often been successfully demonized by Republicans over a stray comment here and there with the seemingly eager assistance of the current MSM. Have Republicans been a victim of this too? Yes, certainly (as much as I hate to admit it).
However, in regards to Reid's current criticism of McCain, I don't really know that there is outrage necessarily being "manufactured" in this case as McCain's comments seem open for criticism given what we know of his very public and near-fanatical devotion to Bush's "surge" policy and his previously stated desire/willingness to keep our troops in Iraq if not for 100 years (or more) then certainly for several more years than they actually need to be there even if only to safely withdraw them.

[Richardo]

7. Thanks for the reasoned response, butlerd. I see your point, but....

...I still think that a little critical thinking should be applied - does he REALLY mean withdrawing the troops is unimportant? Or does he mean withdrawal is LESS important than them getting killed or wounded? If the latter, Reid could say: "The mechanism of the withdrawal may be less important than the casualties, but the best way to minimize casualties is to remove the troops from the situation in a expeditous redeployment to a non-combat zone" or whatever. Instead, he paraphrased the comment to quote McCain as saying it 'didn't matter'. That's a relatively cheap shot.

:patriot: