More McCain visit info: Baghdad market was a 3 minute drive from the Green Zone

[sabra]

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_070402.htm

<snip>

NBC Nightly News reported that McCain "was in Baghdad and was escorted by heavily armed troops to a downtown market. He then insisted a US-Iraqi security crackdown on the capital is working." NBC added, "The US military, which provided still pictures, told NBC News the market was a 3 minute drive directly across the Tigris river, from the Green Zone. And that McCain's delegation was guarded by more than 100 American soldiers with three Blackhawk helicopters and two Apache gun ships overhead."

[Kagemusha]

1. Being a 3 minute drive doesn't exactly make it safe.

He was right to have a huge armed escort.

He was wrong to pretend like the fact he was able to stroll at all, with the huge armed escort, proves something.

[Gman]

2. McCain's visit is NOT for our consumption

It is directed at the GOP base that will vote in the primaries.

However, this will make a great Dem commercial in the fall of next year.

[Roland99]

3. John McCain: Maverick

:rofl:

[MrModerate]

4. I've been in that market, and . . .

If you move quickly enough you can be in and out before local residents can organize their firepower. I wouldn't push it past about 15 minutes though, because mortars are pretty easy to site in if you're not too fussy about how close you get to your target.

[MidwestTransplant]

9. You may last a few minutes longer with a 100 man security envelope and 5 helocopters

hovering for your protection.

[daninthemoon]

5. Any Vietnam Vets out there? How do you all feel about McCain

hawking this war?

[TwilightGardener]

6. Not a vet myself, but the recent NYT article about how his experiences

in 'Nam and as a POW affects his view of THIS war was very enlightening--the conclusion was that McCain was a flier, didn't see the ugliness and futility of war from a grunt's perspective, and then sat on the sidelines for the rest of it. Apparently a lot of air force and navy fliers still believe that it could have been won, because their perspective is from 30,000 feet up, they don't see the carnage and the day-to-day struggle, and they have much more faith invested in superior technology.

[Buzz Clik]

7. "Sat on the sidelines"? Ack!

Damn, man. "Sidelines" suggest riding the bench or sitting in the paid seats. Not being stuffed in a box and tortured.

I dislike McCain, but geez louise!

[TwilightGardener]

12. No, no, no--I don't mean to minimize McCain's POW experience--

I respect him for surviving that with honor, and have defended him on this forum for that. What I meant to say, but inartfully worded it, was that he was SIDELINED from the action. He was no longer a participant of the campaign. That's all I meant by that.

[Buzz Clik]

13. "Sidelined." Yes, a much better word.

:thumbsup:

[Broadslidin]

8. Why Didn't You Stick Around For the Incoming Mortar Round Festivities, John..?

And Why weren't you openly sportin
Pearl Handled Pistols
like ya all do back in Arizona....!

[progressoid]

10. There has to pictures of this somewhere right?

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

11. Is he *trying* to look stupid?

I understand why he's doing it. It's a gamble. If the surge works (which it won't) he ends up looking like a genius. If it doesn't, he can try to play the "cut & run" card, for whatever that will be worth nine months from now. But really, he's not helping his case in the sort term with these silly stunts, and the press isn't giving him the same benefit of the doubt they give Bush when he makes bullshit proclamations about the state of Baghdad.