While Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have distorted Senator John McCain's Iraq position (see previous post), McCain has for some time been smearing the Democrats on a number of issues. He charges, wrongly, that Dems want government to make our decisions for us. Far worse, on Iraq he demonizes his Democratic opponents and all war opponents by slanderously claiming that they want to "raise the white flag of surrender."
To see one particularly egregious example of McCain caught on camera making false charges like these look at his March 18, 2008 press interview in which he displays not only ignorance on what is going on in Iraq but a studied disregard for the position of his opponents--and for decency: "The Democratic formula--very clear," he charges, "--surrender to Al Qaeda and leave." Such distortion of war opponents' views and such willful confusion of the Iraq war and the war against the murderers who attacked New York and Washington are reprehensible. It is exactly this kind of demonization of opponents that freezes debate and makes the next Iraq-style debacle more likely--whoever wins the presidential election.
One example of his "white flag of surrender"commentaries: "Senator John McCain of Arizona, holding a "town hall'' assembly at the Palm Beach County Convention Center now, accused Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York of raising a "white flag'' of "surrender'' in the war in Iraq. . . " For more: White Flag.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Sunday, April 06, 2008
100 Years in Iraq? Dems Distort McCain's Position
Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are deliberately mis-stating Republican John McCain's postion, when they claim he is willing to fight in Iraq for another 100 years. Instead, McCain was saying that, if necessary, the U.S. should be willing to keep troops in Iraq for 100 years, akin to our deployments in Japan and Korea, with the proviso that troops aren't being harmed. To hear what McCain actually said, go to:
"McCain's 100 Years in Iraq."
We can thank Frank Rich for pointing this out in today's New York Times: "REALLY, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton should be ashamed of themselves for libeling John McCain. As a growing chorus reiterates, their refrains that Mr. McCain is “willing to send our troops into another 100 years of war in Iraq” (as Mr. Obama said) or “willing to keep this war going for 100 years” (per Mrs. Clinton) are flat-out wrong." Then in a very important commentary on much more serious problems with McCain's positions on and understanding of Iraq, Rich goes on to argue: "Everything else Mr. McCain has to say about Iraq is more troubling. . ."
He conclusdes by saying: "The Democrats should also stop repeating their 100-years-war calumny against Mr. McCain. There’s too much at stake for America for them to add their own petty distortions to an epic tragedy that only a long-overdue national reckoning with hard truths can bring to an end."
His commentary can be found at:"Tet Happened, and No One Cared."
"McCain's 100 Years in Iraq."
We can thank Frank Rich for pointing this out in today's New York Times: "REALLY, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton should be ashamed of themselves for libeling John McCain. As a growing chorus reiterates, their refrains that Mr. McCain is “willing to send our troops into another 100 years of war in Iraq” (as Mr. Obama said) or “willing to keep this war going for 100 years” (per Mrs. Clinton) are flat-out wrong." Then in a very important commentary on much more serious problems with McCain's positions on and understanding of Iraq, Rich goes on to argue: "Everything else Mr. McCain has to say about Iraq is more troubling. . ."
He conclusdes by saying: "The Democrats should also stop repeating their 100-years-war calumny against Mr. McCain. There’s too much at stake for America for them to add their own petty distortions to an epic tragedy that only a long-overdue national reckoning with hard truths can bring to an end."
His commentary can be found at:"Tet Happened, and No One Cared."
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