McCain turns Bush on Iraq war surge

Don't know who John Sopko is but he writes a superbly. I normally don't like to read such long articles unless they are on paper but this one is a keeper, word for word all 17 pages. There are a lot of McCain's idea's I don't like but there is only one that matters, he believes in America and he has always been willing to fight for that belief.

WoW,What a great article.I liked McCain before but it was just superficial.Now that I have a glimps of McCain.Hes determination and Judment I like him even more.Also I will like to Salute Senator Lieberman and Graham and President Bush for a Job well done in turning the Tide In Iraq.

McCain doesn't believe in Los Estados Unidos. That's why he wanted to amnesty millions of Mexicans.

Barack Hussein Obama claims he is not a Muslim. In reality, he was a Muslim for 31 years until his wife made him take up Christianity so that he could run for office. When he went to school in Indonesia his religion was listed as "Islamic" a school records, recently released, even mention that he got into trouble for making faces during Koranic Studies. When most people his age were in American schools studying geography, Obama was in Indonesia studying the Koran. It's really no wonder that he thinks there are 57 states. Obama and his angry wife are the most dangerous people to ever attempt a White House takeover.

Fantastic article. It gives great detail and insight as to how we nearly lost this war and whom we have to thank for victory. John McCain has proved he is a brilliant military strategist. Coupled with his assesment of Valdimer Putin several years ago "Once a KGB always a KGB" and his quick assesment of the Russia Georgia conflict, he is a Geo-Political expert at a dangerous time for the world. He truly understands that the primary role of President is Commander in Chief. Before I was voting against Barrack Obama. Now I am voting for John McCain. Here is a man of conviction and depth who has proven over decades of service that he puts honor duty and country ahead of his own ambitions and safety. What a great country that we can produce such men.

McCain destroys Obama on matters of national defense.

I think it is a great testament to McCain's foresight and leadership that Sunnis and Shiites are now working together, politically, and a united Iraq seems inevitable. In fact, I read recently that the Sadr Army has been transformed into A COMMUNITY SERVICE ORGANIZATION! I remember it was only a year ago that weak politicians, mostly Democrats, were saying Iraq should be divided up into three sovereign states. Remember that defeatist crap? Now that the US has been victorious in Iraq, and has largely defeated al Qaeda there, we can turn our attention to Afghanistan and getting Obama bin Laden. By the way, the 79 Billion dollar "surplus" in Iraq is not, in fact, a "suplus". It is an accummulation of money that is earmarked for roads, schools, sewers, bridges, and other infrastructure to repair and shore-up the country, but they do not yet have the governmental agencies in place to distribute it. So, it is NOT A SURPLUS. It will help guarantee that a stable and prosperous democracy will be established in the middle of a once-hostile Middle East. This will be one of the great legacies of the Bush administration, and John McCain should get a huge amount of the credit.

What a great article and great American. John McCain is without a doubt, one of the most patriotic Americans I have seen in a long time. The man may have his flaws but he sticks to his core principles. He is going to make a fine President come November.

Below is a portion of a post we put up this July, recalling a quotation from a speech John McCain made in a Senate debate the middle of the night, a little over a year ago, back in July 2007. Those words of his tell the tale. From: http://trochilustales.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html . . . Real leaders, like Senator John McCain, showed excellent judgment when the chips were down. They pressed the Bush Administration for the implementation of the surge strategy. Obama vehemently argued against the surge at the time, and voted against it as well. Last July, before the success of the surge had begun to emerge in the public consciousness, John McCain stood up on the floor of the Senate in the middle of the night to defend the continuation of the surge. His campaign for the Presidency was seemingly in disarray, and yet McCain stood firmly on principle. Here was the conclusion to his speech(ht: Ed Morrissey at Captain's Quarters) that hot July night, just one year ago: "I am privileged, as we all are, to be subject to the judgment of the American people and history. But, my friends, they are not always the same judgment. The verdict of the people will arrive long before history’s. I am unlikely to ever know how history has judged us in this hour. The public’s judgment of me I will know soon enough. I will accept it, as I must. But whether it is favorable or unforgiving, I will stand where I stand, and take comfort from my confidence that I took my responsibilities to my country seriously, and despite the mistakes I have made as a public servant and the flaws I have as an advocate, I tried as best I could to help the country we all love remain as safe as she could be in an hour of serious peril." John McCain was right. Barack Obama was wrong, and is now himself in retreat. This is no time to listen to someone without any experience or qualifications whatsoever, or who has no ideas -- except vague pie-in-the-sky talk, and the now haunting echoes of a demand that we cut-and-run like cowards when the going got tough. We live in a real world; and this is not a play! Freedom and liberty are realities we Americans have helped define for our modern world. We have our own deck of leaders to think of kindly. . . . . (The link from Captain's Quarters was: http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/010559.php ).

I am confused. It sounds as if Sen McCain was publicly and privately criticizing the CINC's decisions during a war. McCain's position was based on his conversations with foreign military leaders which contradicted the President's position that he was making decisions based on the recommendations of US commanders on the ground.

Unlike McCain; I bet Obama sang along with the Arabic call to prayer, when he was in Baghdad. See info from NY Times about this at myspace.com/obamamecca.

History will judge John McCain, not by what he has done, but what he could have accomplished. The Iraq war has killed 4,000 Americans, wounded 10,000 more, killed 100,000 Iraq citizens, ruined millions of lives, all but destroyed our reputation in the world, and failed to reduce the threat of terrorism. This war was foolish, unnecessary and probably criminal. John McCain could have prevented this war - he had that much credibility. But he chose to preach the need to attack. John McCain thinks we can "win" this war. There's no victory possible in this conflict - only the thin hope that the Iraq people can solve their own problems.

Forrest: Where on earth did you get these numbers? I guess you buy into the propaganda don't you? This war was much needed, has accomplished a ton, and is by no means criminal. I think we can win this war and will. That coming from soldiers I have spoken to and believe in this war. Thanks, Lance lance@americaagainstobama.com www.americaagainstobama.com

History will judge John McCain in the rich tradition of the leadership that has moved this nation to greatness. Barack Obama was an Illinois state senator who made a 50-50 statement on the need for war with Iraq. He could have as easily been wrong as right. To characterize his "judgment" as being more than this is really quite absurd. John McCain's decision to vote for war was based on the same flawed intelligence that prompted many Democratic Senators to vote with him. Indeed, even Saddam Hussein did not deny that he had such weapons even when he knew it would mean his ultimate downfall. When both Senators needed to decide what to do next in Iraq, only one made the correct call. Obama went with the liberal wing of his party. McCain went against just about everyone; and, as this story shows, he was consistent. This is what we need in a President. Caroline Kennedy may be helping the Dems chose a vice-president, but I predict she will someday soon be picking a future president of the other party to be the "Profiles In Courage" award winner. John McCain is a person who is willing to stand up for what he believes in. He would be the "change that we can believe in." A person who puts a wet finger to the wind and equivocates on every contemporaneous question is not. Indeed, Senator Obaman is rapidly proving the making the decisions required as President of the United States is "above his pay grade."

JCoff The evidence that Hussein had WMD was very thin; the evidence that he was supporting terrorists was nonexistant as was the evidence that he planned action against the US. That many Democrats voted for the war just means that they were guilty of the same lack of seasoned judgement as John McCain. Who would McCain attack next - Iran, North Korea, China, Russia? Lance I got my numbers from the sites listed below. They are consistant with reports on TV, Newspapers and blogs. US Dead and wounded http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_casualties.htm US Dead http://icasualties.org/oif/ Iraq Dead http://www.iraqbodycount.org/database/