McCain says rivals' call for Iraq troop withdrawal a 'failure of leadership'

Tuesday 08th April, 02:54 PM JST

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Sarge at 08:31 PM JST - 8th April

"what America needs is a fresh start with a young, dynamic president"

Nah, what America needs is to continue to be the leading light and hope of the world with an experienced, wizened president.
Maruku at 09:58 PM JST - 8th April

Sarge, that would be true if the light still shone. Let's be honest, after this administration, it doesn't really matter who gets in - the only way is up.

For now the Reps can kick back and watch the Dems rip each other apart, but the choice of VP will probably make or break the Rep ticket. So the question may not be how able McCain is now, it's more like who would lead the US if something had to happen to the wizened President.

Can the US really afford that risk now? After Cheyney did what he did as VP/P? Nancy did a good job covering Ronnie ... maybe we need to looking at Mrs. McCain?

Skipthesong is right ... um, correct ... you might want to start thinking about change. It's scary, but if you want your respect back, you might have to shake Washington up a little.
SushiSake3 at 10:04 PM JST - 8th April

It seems like RomeoRamen doesn't have any answers at all to the questions I posed above, namely:

1/ Your ideas on how the "War on Terror" is going to continue to be funded?

2/ What foreign policy experience does McCain have?

John McCain himself cannot answer Q1.

I challenge any Republican to post answers to these questions.

Redacted - "500, 000? Can we have the link for that one?"

No one is sure and the U.S. sure isn't counting. Some figures go to 750,000, others as high as 1,000,000+.

And it seems like you've been confusing 'terrorists' and 'insurgents' with innocent men and women, much like your womble president.

And yet, US armed forces keep meeting and even exceeding their enlistment quotas...

Maybe this is why -

Army Cash Bonuses The Army’s cash bonuses include bonuses for choosing a high demand military occupational specialty (MOS), for selecting a specific date to begin basic training, for being willing to leave for boot camp as soon as possible, for advanced civilian skills, and more.

The following is a quick summary of the current Army Cash Bonus:

Seasonal Bonuses – up to $25,000 High School Sr. Bonuses – $1,000 National Call to Service Bonus – Combined incentives equal to more than $23,000. Prior Service Incentives – up to $20,000 Army Hi Grad - Education Bonus – up to $6,000 Airborne Training Bonus - $6,000 Army Bonus for civilian skills – $5,000

=====

And they keep getting higher.

You can see more bribes - ehrr - "enlistment bonuses" at:

www.military.com/recruiting/bonus-center/news/armys-2007-enlistment-bonus-update-

bonuses are paid in cash too - that must be enticing!
Sarge at 10:10 PM JST - 8th April

"McCain is too old"

I'd rather have an old wizened president than a young wizenheimer president.
SushiSake3 at 10:42 PM JST - 8th April

Sarge - no you wouldn't.
Sarge at 11:10 PM JST - 8th April

SushiSake3 - Yes, I would.
BTW, did you know there's a SushiSake2 running around this site, including a few posts on this thread? Check it out!
redacted at 11:43 PM JST - 8th April

sushi sake 2/3:"I challenge any Republican to post answers to these questions."

Are you going to tell us McCain's opponents have answered those questions to your satisfaction?

McCain, as most diehard Republicans would tell you, is basically a centrist. Don't forget - even the openly partisan liberal media like this guy. He's "the Maverick."

Over the last five both Barak Hussein Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton have quite casually changed their positions on the Iraq War whenever it suited them.

It's obvious your posts aren't about the War on Terror so much as they are about attacking US Republicans and or conservatives.

Is it because they are the party that even you recognize seeks to keep America strong?Or is it that they're the party you blame for your country's demise?
jeancolmar at 11:46 PM JST - 8th April

.

It was a "failure of leadership" that started this useless war and has kept it going.

The reasons for the war were lies. When Bush said mission accomplished that was B.S. (Most G.I.s died after that.) Lame Brain McCain has been nicknamed "Bagdad Bob" after the Iraqi general who was saying that the forces of Saddam were winning when Bagdad was falling. Lame Brain McCain said the US is going to have to occupy Iraq for a century. Your grandchildren will be getting their legs blown off there.

Yeah, the Repugs have shown great leadership, starting with Bush.

Unfortunately, McCain just might get elected and like his puppeteer, Bush, might start more wars.
RomeoRamenII at 12:10 AM JST - 9th April

I will be casting my ballot for Mr. McCain; a person who's dedicated his entire adult life to pubilc service.

Besides, the more who comes out supporting barack (jane fonda, farrahkan) the more Americans will not want him as president. The super delegates know this, too. That is one reason why they will never give him the nomination. So, it really makes no difference what barack says. Heh, only non-voting, American wannabes believe otherwise.

RR
SushiSake3 at 12:23 AM JST - 9th April

redacted -

"Are you going to tell us McCain's opponents have answered those questions to your satisfaction?"

No, I'm waiting for RomeoRamen and other war supporters like yourself to front up and answer the question. You or Sen. McCain can't evade it forever.

I will ask again: Where is the money to fund the war going to come from?

"McCain, as most diehard Republicans would tell you, is basically a centrist. Don't forget - even the openly partisan liberal media like this guy. He's "the Maverick."

He is also a loser who has warped priorities.

The economy is right now the number one concern for Americans. But what is McCain doing? He's mumbling stuff about security and keeping America safe, not mentioning that his support for Bush's policies are one of the key reasons his country's economy is now teetering on the brink of recession.

If that wasn't bad enough, he also has no clear, coherent plan to reinvigorate the economy.

It worries me that this doesn't worry you, amnd I am assuming you are American.

"Over the last five both Barak Hussein Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton have quite casually changed their positions on the Iraq War whenever it suited them."

Wrong. Obama has been against the war from the start.

"It's obvious your posts aren't about the War on Terror so much as they are about attacking US Republicans and or conservatives."

Correct. Because the US Republicans are primarily the ones who are behind the tanking U.S. economy, which will have a worldwide fallout when it sinks deeper into recession.

"Is it because they are the party that even you recognize seeks to keep America strong?"

No, that's because the Republican party has weakened America economically, militarily, diplomatically and in terms of nearly every major alliance.

"Or is it that they're the party you blame for your country's demise?"

FYI, my country has never had it better.

RomeoRamen - "I will be casting my ballot for Mr. McCain; a person who's dedicated his entire adult life to pubilc service."

I just wish the latter part of it was in the right direction. Pity it isn't.

BTW, has Sen. McCain decided whether he is for or against Bush's tax cuts?
SushiSake3 at 12:26 AM JST - 9th April

Honestly, I love you Republicans - debating with you is about as difficult as falling over and missing hitting the floor.

Keep it up! :-)
frontandcentre at 10:08 AM JST - 9th April

Is it because they are the party that even you recognize seeks to keep America strong?

mmm...keeping America strong by bankrupting it.... good policy!
redacted at 02:35 PM JST - 9th April

"Obama has been against the war from the start."?

You might want to actually do a little research there, sushi sake.

Barack Obama discussed the Iraq War in his book The Audacity of Hope (2006):“I began to suspect that I might have been wrong...”

He told the Chicago Tribune in July 2004: “There’s not that much difference between my position and George Bush’s position at this stage.”

In Nov 04 he gets elected to the Senate and tells the press:

"[O]nce the decision was made, then we’ve got to do everything we can to stabilize the country, to make it successful, because we’ll have too much at stake in the Middle East. And that’s the position that I continue to take."

But once his base on the Left decided that their 08 candidate - unlike John Kerry and John Edwards and Hillary - must be against the war, he then began trumpeting his supposedly prescient opposition to regime change from back in 2002, confident I'm sure that the media would not remind his fans that in the same year in a speech he gave in Chicago on October 2, 2002, he declared that the Iraqi despot Saddam Hussein had “repeatedly defied UN resolutions, thwarted UN inspection teams, developed chemical and biological weapons, and coveted nuclear capacity,” and that he “butchers his own people...”

What he says to get himself the nomination and to get elected are obviously different from what he'd do should he win.

He has made that more than clear to any American who has taken time enough to stop repeating the mantra - "change!" - and take a look at the Empty Suit and his record.
RomeoRamenII at 12:31 PM JST - 11th April

Should barack, heh, win it all, I'm willing to bet he'll come up with a reason why he's not going to bring the troops home.

He'll probably say something along the lines, "Now that I have the bigger picture of what's going on over there and after consulting with the commanders on the ground in Iraq, it is my opinon that it would be not wise to lower troop numbers at this time or in the forseeable future."

And barack's supporters inside and outside the media will fall all over themselves hailing his decision as the right move.

RR
RomeoRamenII at 12:37 PM JST - 11th April

redacted - Yep, barack was for the war before he was against the war.

barack will say anything to get the nomination. Heh, shame he won't get it, though. The super delegates will see to that. They will be making their decision of what's good for the democratic party. And it sho ain't barack.

RR