Truth About McCain - He Always Second Guesses The Military For Political Points - Who's Unpatriotic?

[Median Democrat]

You heard the phrase, "Even a blind squirrel occassionally finds a nut?" Well, this describes John McCain's inconsistent and contradictory approach to foreign policy. Indeed, the only "constant" is that John McCain will loudly second guess military strategy in order to draw attention to himself. This may be the reason why Wesley Clark has been ripping on McCain; because despite Clark's success, McCain second guessed him throughout the Kosovo campaign. Clark has been ripping McCain as means of payback.

FIRST, ironically is the criticism of John McCain appearing in a conservative magazine, which questioned his current pro-Iraq occupation policies. The magazing notes McCain's opposition to Reagan's commitment of American troops to Lebanon as a peace-keeping force in which a young John McCain sounded like Barack Obama:

/snip

"The senator first captured the media spotlight in September 1983, not long after he’d been elected to his first term in the House, when he voted against President Reagan’s decision to put American troops in Lebanon as part of a multinational “peacekeeping” force. One of 27 Republicans to break with the White House, the freshman McCain made a floor speech that reads as if it might have been written yesterday—by Ron Paul:

The fundamental question is: What is the United States’ interest in Lebanon? It is said we are there to keep the peace. I ask, what peace? It is said we are there to aid the government. I ask, what government? It is said we are there to stabilize the region. I ask, how can the U.S. presence stabilize the region?... The longer we stay in Lebanon, the harder it will be for us to leave. We will be trapped by the case we make for having our troops there in the first place.

What can we expect if we withdraw from Lebanon? The same as will happen if we stay. I acknowledge that the level of fighting will increase if we leave. I regretfully acknowledge that many innocent civilians will be hurt. But I firmly believe this will happen in any event.

Now insert “Iraq” where McCain said “Lebanon.” It’s as if McCain the Younger foresaw our present predicament and taunted his future incarnation, showing that wisdom doesn’t necessarily come with age.

In sketching out McCain’s political career alongside a timeline of American interventions abroad, one comes, at last, to a turning point. But his course was set much earlier, in his first visible venture into the realm of national-security issues at the time of the Lebanese events: Reagan’s request for U.S. troops and the subsequent attack on the Beirut marine barracks, where 241 military personnel were killed.

/snip

SECOND, during the 1999 Kosovo Air Strikes, John McCain heavily criticized Bill Clinton's "lack of an exit strategy" and asserted that the US would not be able to win without a ground war. This criticism may underscore why Gen. Wesley Clark hates John McCain's guts. Because McCain was back at home second guessing Gen. Clark at the time, rather than backing up Clark's handling of the war.

/snip

NOVAK: Do you think that war can be won without sending in ground troops?

MCCAIN: I am very skeptical because all three of us, being students of history, know that the last time, I think, that air power won was when Zeus used to have an unlimited supply of thunderbolts.

http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/stories/s20508.htm

US Senator John McCain, Arizona Republican:
The important thing here is that this is a very dangerous business that we've embarked on and there is no end game, there is no exit strategy that has been articulated and therefore I am incredibly skeptical...

/snip

THIRD, we have present day John McCain who is all over the map, without any clear exit strategy in Iraq, and who has recently embraced Barack Obama's 16 month timeline. Ironically, McCain has calling himself Bush's greatest critic, which would be a good thing, except for the fact that John McCain has made a career of second guessing military action. With Reagan, it was too much. With Clinton, it was too little. With W, McCain's positions have been all over the map.

[opihimoimoi]

1. If we were to judge from a standpoint of RISKS(Odds).the Riskier bet is McSame.Obama has better odds

The odds depend on ::

Logic

Common Sense

Reason

Sanity

Common Good/Interest

The PEN is MIGHTIER Than the Sword....History tells us this is so....

[Median Democrat]

3. Wesley Clark versus John McCain - Its Personal

I love Wesley Clark, but I don't think he is attacking McCain due to his loyalty as a Democrat. Wesley Clark is paying McCain back for second guessing him for the Kosovo war, and Clark turned out to be absolutely right. Thus, when Clark attacks McCain it is due to Clark's first hand experience dealing with John McCain, the idiot, who thinks he knows how to conduct a war because he was a POW, thus McCain second guesses real military commanders who actually know what they are doing.

The irony is that despite GOP admonitions that politicians should support the troops, McCain has a history of second guessing the military for political benefit. The one thing I would love to see, but won't, is a media analysis of McCain's statements and predictions regarding the Kosovo War, which were wrong.

In short:

Lebanon - McCain opposition was right due to reasons that sound similar to Obama's reasons for opposing Iraq War. Imagine that!

Kosovo - McCain was wrong re need for ground war.

Iraq - McCain was wrong re need to invade due to WMDs.

[opihimoimoi]

4. McSane? ...if we were to really look into his SOUL...what would we see?

All the D words...starting with Depressing...he has so many Negative Charactoristics ya wonder how he has reached this far...He is the result of GOP Photo Ops and Yellow Journalism...now called PsyOps...Brain washing, social engineering, framing, herding, etc

He is a Negative Person with Negative Angry Outbursts....prone to fits of mumbling incoherently....do we want this dude w the RED PHONE? I think NOT

I am sure Clark will end up as part of the Answer in ObAMA'S ADMINs should he win....

[Median Democrat]

5. Not to Knock Clark - I Think Clark Is Enjoying Nailing McCain

I also think that if Clark was named the VP, this is the story that would comeout, that Clark has a personal grudge with regard to McCain. And I would to if I was Clark.

[opihimoimoi]

6. Clark would make a good SOS or the Amb to the UN....If Obama was to win....tons of positions open

our Group of Talent(intsead of Cronies)

[StuffyJones]

2. I think in our voluntary military you have lots of people who like Top Gun

And, excepting seniors, the majority don't give a damn how they or their loved ones are treated by the military, they just support war. And the GOP is the dumb, shoot first and negotiate later party.

McCain is GOP and a jingoistic militaristic neanderthal. So he gets away with whatever concerning the military.