McCain Myth Buster: John McCain and Success In Iraq

Playing to the pro-war wing of his party, John McCain often says on the campaign trail that he knows the facts on the ground in Iraq and that anyone who talks about how long our troops will be there 'does not understand the military.'

Democrats.org - March 19, 2008

(PRNewsChannel) / Washington, D.C. - Playing to the pro-war wing of his party, John McCain often says on the campaign trail that he knows the facts on the ground in Iraq and that anyone who talks about how long our troops will be there "does not understand the military." [Foxnews.com, 2/11/08]

But the record shows that time and time again, it's McCain who has been wrong on Iraq. Having echoed the Bush Administration's case for war, McCain repeatedly said that success in Iraq would be "fairly easy" and that "we will win this conflict. We will win it easily." Yet nearly five years, 4,000 American troop casualties, and 29,000 wounded troops later, it's clear the war has been anything but easy as fighting rages on and the Iraqis fail to make the political progress they need to sustain a lasting peace. [CNN, 9/24/02; CNN, 1/22/03; Bloomberg, 3/18/08]

McCain has made Iraq the centerpiece of his presidential campaign, yet on the war and so much more, McCain has been wrong from the start. How can Americans trust a president who would rather pander to the right wing of his Party than assess the facts for what they really are?

2002, 2003: Winning In Iraq Would Be "Easy." In the run up to War with Iraq, McCain repeatedly emphasized that the conflict would be "easy." Speaking in September 2002 about the prospect of invading Iraq, McCain said he thought it would not be a difficult conflict. McCain said, "I believe that the success [in Iraq] will be fairly easy." In January of 2003, McCain again predicted the same about invading Iraq, saying, "we will win this conflict. We will win it easily." [CNN, 9/24/02; CNN, 1/22/03]

McCain Claims Anyone Talking About How Long Our Troops Will Be in Iraq "Does Not Understand the Military." Campaigning in February, McCain said "Anyone who worries about how long we're in Iraq does not understand the military and does not understand war" and that "the argument is really almost insulting to one's intelligence to say how long we're in Iraq." [Foxnews.com, 2/11/08]

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Source Web Site: Democrats.org