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McCain Accuses Obama of Trying to 'Legislate Failure' in Iraq For Political Gain
August 18, 2008 12:29 PM
ABC News's Bret Hovell reports: Addressing the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars this morning in Orlando, John McCain came down harshly on rival Barack Obama for on his position and opinion on the Iraq war.
So what’s new?
This: McCain takes a new tack in tying Obama's positions on the war to his personal desire to be president. "Behind all of these claims and positions by Senator Obama lies the ambition to be president."
This is of course not the first time McCain has hit Obama on Iraq, and it is not the harshest attack. The harshest was the line that said roughly: Senator Obama would rather lose a war to win a campaign. This new line seems to get at the same point in a less accusatory fashion.
McCain talked about Iraq having potential as a "peaceful and democratic ally" in the Middle East, which could be "squandered by a hasty withdrawal and arbitrary timelines."
"This is one of many problems in the shifting positions of my opponent, Senator Obama," McCain said. "With less than three months to go before the election, a lot of people are still trying to square Senator Obama's varying positions on the surge in Iraq."
McCain went on to describe Obama’s opposition to the surge, and what he describes as Obama trying to "prevent funding for the troops who carried out the surge."
"Not content to merely predict failure in Iraq, my opponent tried to legislate failure," McCain said. "This was back when supporting America's efforts in Iraq entailed serious political risk. It was a clarifying moment. It was a moment when political self-interest and the national interest parted ways...'
Then the new line: political ambition is behind Obama’s positions, per McCain.
"Behind all of these claims and positions by Senator Obama," McCain said, "lies the ambition to be president. What's less apparent is the judgment to be commander-in-chief."
August 18, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (59)
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Dont forget mccain knows how to win wars he knows how to win them my friends the last i knew he was in one war vietnam crashed his plane and was held pow and we didnt win vietnam so i ask you cynics WHAT WAR HAS HE WON?????????????????????
Posted by: angie | Aug 18, 2008 1:28:23 PM
Have you noticed that McCain cannot speak on the issues? Have you noticed that he's always talking about war and nothing else?
The Republicans really think America is that stupid.
NOT THIS TIME.
POTUS OBAMA - ITS INEVITABLE
Posted by: Nat Turner | Aug 18, 2008 1:29:09 PM
Mcain is playing the FEAR CARD!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT THIS TIME MCFEAR!!!!!!
Posted by: angie | Aug 18, 2008 1:30:14 PM
I wonder if Winston Churchill can figure out what it would mean to 'win' in Iraq. Seems Republicans can't do it.
Posted by: Paul | Aug 18, 2008 1:31:13 PM
The closer we get to the election, the clearer it becomes as who will be our next POTUS.
POTUS OBAMA - IT'S INEVITABLE
Posted by: Nat Turner | Aug 18, 2008 1:34:17 PM
I don't understand Mccain anymore. So according to this line of thought his underlying commitment to the war in Iraq is to be president as well? Or his commitment to tax the crap out of the middle class is just his ambition to be president.
As for Obama lets not confuse arrogance with confidence.
Also why is mccain still saying we should be there when our own government is now working on the dreaded timetable with the Iraqi government?
Posted by: Joe | Aug 18, 2008 1:40:18 PM
McCain and the GOP are really in a pathetic, desperate state. They have absolutely nothing to go with but empty, negative attacks and smears. The past 8 years have so clearly been a disaster and McCain is promising more of the same, so he obviously can't talk issues or take positive lines of argument. Here's what GOP harpy Robert Novak wrote in mid-July:
"With Sen. Barack Obama moving ahead of Sen. John McCain in our latest Electoral College rundown, the private Republican view is that the focus must be on Obama in the coming campaign for McCain to win. A positive campaign will lose, and the spotlight on Obama must be harsher for McCain to have a chance."
Posted by: hopesprings52 | Aug 18, 2008 1:42:41 PM
The idea of telling nations what to do and then using force when they don't listen is a failed policy that McCain endorses. It is a bad idea because we are broke.
Posted by: Ben Straub | Aug 18, 2008 1:43:56 PM
Obama however is confident and it just annoyes the hell out of the repukes. I love it!
Posted by: Joe | Aug 18, 2008 1:44:56 PM
McCain wants to start another war so he can honorably take our troops out of Iraq. That way Iraq will not have to kick us out.
Posted by: Thinking | Aug 18, 2008 1:46:36 PM
McCain is a slug.
Posted by: Shelley | Aug 18, 2008 1:48:14 PM
I guess everyone with 5 mill in the bank and lower are middle class to Mccain...
MCCAIN: I don't want to take any money from the rich — I want everybody to get rich. (LAUGHTER) … I don't believe in class warfare or redistribution of the wealth. … So, I think if you are just talking about income, how about $5 million? (LAUGHTER) But seriously, I don't think you can — I don't think seriously that — the point is that I'm trying to make here, seriously — and I'm sure that comment will be distorted — but the point is that we want to keep people's taxes low and increase revenues.”
He doesn't even understand were 95% of america is coming from or he can't remember.
Posted by: Joe | Aug 18, 2008 1:50:04 PM
It seems McCain might have plagiarized the Gulag Archipelago with his "cross in the dirt" story.
The same thing happened in that book.
This itself isn't proof it didn't happen to McCain. But McCain seems to have been quite a Solzhenitsyn fan. When he co-authored a book about twelve tough historical decisions, one of the twelve was Solzhenitsyn's decision to write the Gulag Archipelago.
Posted by: Paul | Aug 18, 2008 1:50:47 PM
The "Bojo" announcement can't come quick enough...
because that announcement will sound like Barack saying in the infamous words of Stephen King... in Stand By Me
"Chopper... ...sick ba11s!"
as McCain and team...panicks covering his cro7ch..
Posted by: dl | Aug 18, 2008 1:54:49 PM
Thanks for the continued personal attacks on McCain. You are proving to the whole world that when your bluff is called or your follies are exposed, you leftists failo to counter with facts and resort to personal attacks. I will repeat the question: Hasen't legislating our defeat in Iraq been THE top priority for all democrats? If what McCain is saying is not true, then why all the votes to defund our troops and set timelines for withdrawal?
Posted by: Joaquin B. | Aug 18, 2008 1:59:50 PM
How can any one vote for a person
who was only three(3) years ago
a councilman?
Posted by: vinnie | Aug 18, 2008 2:00:24 PM
This campaign is so damn Orwellian/Rovian, ie. black is white, war is peace, lies are truth, etc.
Now the candidate who has had obvious ambitions to be President for the last twenty years accuses his opponent of being the ambitious one.
Orwell's prediction was only about twenty years early. It took Rove to make his science fiction into fact.
Posted by: pedestrian | Aug 18, 2008 2:00:46 PM
Vinnie: Get a clue, kid. You have no idea what you're tallking about. Nobody was a councilman. Stop reading stupid emails and do a little independent research. Ever hear of something called The Google?
Posted by: pedestrian | Aug 18, 2008 2:03:01 PM
McCain wants to win the presidency with the blood of our solders. Our blood doesn't matter to the sick, senile old man.
Posted by: Sam | Aug 18, 2008 2:03:35 PM
I mean do you people who support Mccain even listen to what he is saying? He doesn't have one unique idea and just says crap the GOP higher ups tell him to even if he is pres he wouldn't be in charge the GOP pulls his strings. I'm sick of his constant attacks he needs to man up and describe his policies and his ideas. He offers nothing new and no change in direction for this country. Just more attacks on anyone who doesn't agree with him.
Posted by: Joe | Aug 18, 2008 2:04:21 PM
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