The McCain Campaign is Over: Ended by Iraqi PM, Nouri al-Maliki

[babylonsister]

Paul Abrams

The McCain Campaign is Over: Ended by Iraqi PM, Nouri al-Maliki

Posted July 19, 2008 | 03:36 PM (EST)


As reported in these pages, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has endorsed Barack Obama's 16-month withdrawal timetable.

The McCain Campaign is effectively over.

McCain had two rationales for his candidacy. The first is that he is a selfless war hero, who placed duty over self in the Hanoi Hilton. That image is partially tarnished by his kowtowing to people he called "agents of intolerance" (Pat Robertson, the late-Jerry Falwell, Pastor Hagee), his embrace of George W Bush and his policies, and the constant stream of sleazebags who he has called 'honorable', but who have had to exit his campaign. That is not to say that his heroism during his imprisonment will ever go away, but rather that he just does not seem to be the same man today as he was then, or even in 2000.

The second rationale is that he, somehow, was the man to pursue the Islamic terrorists. Barack Obama seized the bin Laden/Taliban national security mantra way back in the early days of the Democratic Primary debates, took a lot of criticism from his Democratic rivals and the Bush Administration for it, stuck by his position, and now has McCain following suit. Victory: Obama.

All McCain had then was Iraq, amazingly quoting bin Laden (without recognizing bin Laden's vested interest in disinformation to focus attention away from himself--and McCain is supposed to be the experienced one!!) that Iraq was the central theatre of the "war on terrorism" to prove that the US could not leave because of chaos, genocide and Islamic terrorism. That image, too, was tarnished by McCain's lack of clear understanding just who the enemy was, but he still staked claim to maintaining the "gains" made by the surge that, depending on the day, he either invented or supported or both.

With al-Maliki's statement, what is McCain to do now? Is he going to say that the US will stay even if the Iraqi government does not want us? If not, then is he willing to allow the descent into chaos and genocide he has been predicting?

more...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-abrams/the-mccain-campaign-is-ov_b_113833.html

[Bullet1987]

1. I wouldn't say it's over...but al-Maliki is becoming a problem for the GOP

Look for them to try to begin discrediting him as time goes on. He's clearly chosen his side now...lol.

[Cant trust em]

5. Yeah. As soon as it's politically expedient, he'll be dumped faster than the trash on Thursday.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

9. al-Maliki is an Iranian stooge,

he has no loyalties to the United States, Obama or McCain.

[Hippo_Tron]

22. Be that as it may, he's expressing the will of the Iraqi people

He's up for re-election soon and he is indeed bowing to political pressure. It is clear that the Iraqis want us to leave and even Bush has said that we will leave when the Iraqis tell us to. I think the Iraqis are telling us "Get the fuck out of our country" pretty loud and clear although McThuselah and Bush will of course deny it.

[Tutonic]

25. Totally agree. Al-Maliki can read the tea leaves. If he chooses

to cower to the US he gets trounced in the Iraqi election. If he continues to court the Iraqi vote (passing out money in the street, greeting Iranian president with openness, insisting on a timetable for withdrawal) he may have a slim chance of getting reelected. He clearly has decided that Bush is not trustworthy or able to secure his future.

[mikiturner]

21. Looks like a slight walkback of the al-Maliki statement

Is in the works:

Dr. Ali al-Dabbagh, a spokesman for the Iraqi government, issued a statement saying Mr. Maliki’s statement had been “as not conveyed accurately regarding the vision of Senator Barack Obama, U.S. presidential candidate, on the timeframe for U.S. forces withdrawal from Iraq,” but it did not address a specific error. It did soften his support for Mr. Obama’s plan and implied a more tentative approach to withdrawing troops. More of the statement, which came from the U.S. military’s Central Command press office:

Al-Dabbagh explained that Mr. al-Maliki confirmed the existence of an Iraqi vision stems from the reality with regard to Iraq security needs, as the positive developments of the security situation and the improvement witnessed in Iraqi cities makes the subject of U.S. forces’ withdrawal within prospects, horizons and timetables agreed upon and in the light of the continuing positive developments on the ground, and security that came within the Strategic Plan for Cooperation which was laid and developed by Mr. Maliki and President George Bush. The Iraqi government appreciates and values the efforts of all the friends who continue to support and supporting Iraqi security forces.

Al-Dabbagh underscored that the statements made by the head of the ministerial council (Prime Minister al-Maliki) or any of the members of the Iraqi government should not be understood as support to any U.S. presidential candidates.

[ZenKitty]

28. We live in interesting times

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/07/19/almaliki.obama/

[panader0]

2. Ant effort of the US to remain in Iraq after Maliki's statement

would be recognized as blatant imperialism, even more than it already is.

[otohara]

3. No Sir - Aide To McSame Say - Voters Don't Listen

to Maliki -

I'm listening, Maliki we hear you now!http://thepage.time.com/2008/07/19/mccain-aide-voters-dont-listen-to-maliki/

[Cant trust em]

4. Where is the Republican mantra of personal responsibility now?

I guess this is the time that government knows best.

[grantcart]

6. I agree -

His early support of the surge and his staying the course in Iraq gave him an image of seperation from Bush, although he was in effect promoting the 'revised Bush' plan.

On every other policy, from economics, judges, abortion, tax cuts, he is simply Bush III.


Now that the Iraq war is going to end on a consensus basis with all parties agreeing to Obama's 16 month withdrawal 'horizon' McCain is left holding the "Bush" legacy.

He is absolutely cooked.

We should now double the effort and put the stake in.

[World Citizen]

8. exactly. If anything...

keep playing as if we are losing by 15 points. No landslide can be big enough.

[babylonsister]

10. What's even better is that this puts the kibosh on some of the

negative ads McSame et al. were about to run...

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/conservative-group-to-air-anti-obama-ads/

[Deliphus]

15. I wish you were right, but...

Have you see the latest on the Iran/US situation?

All Bush has to do is start fighting with Iran, and then the refrain will be: when at war, we need a warrior leader (although that hardly was the case with Nat'l Guard MIA Bush).

And I know the Congress will never approve it, so Bush will just use Iraq as a jumping off point. Mission creep. Just like Nam and Cambodia.

No, they're not going to leave chance to deal them a bad card. They're going to use the fear of terrorism yet one more weary time.

We can only hope the American voters are FINALLY savvy enough to see through it.

[grantcart]

17. I don't think that you are up on the latest latest on Iran

The administration has had an even more dramatic reversal on diplomacy with Iran.

Today the number 3 Diplomat in the State Department joins the European/Iran talks in Switzerland.

They have admitted that they are posting permanent diplomats in Iran.

Gates and the Joint Chief of Staff have made a dramatic intervention on Iran and Bush is left with diplomacy.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6510670

[vaberella]

7. Well I guess McCain can call in the White Flag.

[Disturbed]

11. McLame is a mean spirited Asshole!

John McCain embraces GW Bush & his failed policies.

The short list

Iraq,

Top end tax cuts

Privatization of Social Security

Unraveling employer based health care,

Cuban embargo.

Illegal Spying on Americans

Busholini Policy of Torture

Against new GI Bill

Offshore oil drilling

Denying Habeous Corpus

[vaberella]

14. Out of everything you wrote all I'm seeing is the pic....

:rofl:

[Hope And Change]

12. K & R!

[Olney Blue]

13. Did it ever start?

[anonymous171]

16. I wish, but the media will cover for him.

[babylonsister]

20. The Washington Times is even having general doubts about

McSame-this is startling. So you might be wrong, I hope.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6516266

[jhain]

18. even CNN says so

so, it's gotta be HUGH!!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/07/19/almaliki.obama/index.html

[progressoid]

19. Maybe if the voters were even remotely intelligent.

Most don't even know who Nouri al-Maliki is.

[Hippo_Tron]

23. They are intelligent enough to understand "The leader of Iraq want us to get out of their country"

Whenever a Republican says "the surge is working" we can now say "well then, why do they want us to leave?"

[Median Democrat]

24. McCain's Initial Response Was That Maliki Was Lying About Timetable

Everyone remember McCain's initial response when Maliki called for a timetable, which undercut McCain's opposition to a timetable. McCain said on an interview broadcast by NPR that Maliki had said to McCain that he was against such a timetable. Worse, McCain said that Maliki was only referring to a timetable due to domestic Iraqi politics. Well, I may not be the expert in foreign affairs that McCain is, but that probably put some serious domestic heat on Maliki, because McCain said he had met with Maliki and that Maliki was simply lying to the Iraqis.

[Quixote1818]

26. Nouri al-Maliki and T Boone Pickens seem to be putting a slight kink in the Republicans

plans. Lets just hope T Boone continues to be more interested in making millions off of natural gas than helping McCain win.

[adoraz]

27. No way its over, and here is why-

McCain is actually CLOSE to Obama in the polls. That in itself is a miracle for McCain.

If after all this time McCain is still somehow putting up a fight, I don't see how this could kill off his run.

We can't underestimate McCain and the Republicans.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

29. Good point - I would have thought McCain would have a hard time breaking 20% approval

He should be down in the cellar, considering the fact that his economic and international policies are Chimpish if not worse. I'm continually astonished that significant numbers of people seem to want to vote for him.