McCain Strolls Through Baghdad Market, Accompanied By 100 Soldiers, 3 Blackhawks, 2 Apache Gunships
McCain Strolls Through Baghdad Market, Accompanied By 100 Soldiers, 3 Blackhawks, 2 Apache Gunships
Sen. John McCain strolled briefly through an open-air market in Baghdad today in an effort to prove that Americans are “not getting the full picture” of what’s going on in Iraq.
NBC’s Nightly News provided further details about McCain’s one-hour guided tour. He was accompanied by “100 American soldiers, with three Blackhawk helicopters, and two Apache gunships overhead.” Still photographs provided by the military to NBC News seemed to show McCain wearing a bulletproof vest during his visit. Watch it:
McCain recently claimed that there “are neighborhoods in Baghdad where you and I could walk through those neighborhoods, today.” In a press conference after his Baghdad tour, McCain told a reporter that his visit to the market today was proof that you could indeed “walk freely” in some areas of Baghdad.
Sort Comments By: Top Rated | Date
Walk free, Pork Chop, walk small………..
April 1st, 2007 at 7:39 pmBut he was walking freely!
In the sense that he did not require the use of robotic limbs or levitation boots.
April 1st, 2007 at 7:43 pmLooking at McCain’s comments again, I think this shows once again his ignorance. Of course there are neighborhoods where McCain could “walk freely.” And, yes, despite his armored escort, he still was able to “walk freely” in that no one stopped him from, er, walking freely.
I’d say short of the U.S. or Iraqi military stopping him due to security issues, there’s probably no area in the entire country of Iraq where he couldn’t hop out of an armored Humvee and hit the streets and “walk freely.”
The issue, however, is this: how many areas could he “walk freely” and not be shot at, injured, or killed?
Another question is this: by “walking freely” did McCain mean without armed escort? I’d say yes, but watch him waffle on this small detail in the days to come.
April 1st, 2007 at 7:48 pmOT-FROM Buzzflash.com
“As the Western media turns its attention to the fate of 15 Britons detained for allegedly trespassing into Iranian waters over the weekend, the status of five Iranian officials captured in a U.S. military raid on a liaison office in northern Iraq on Jan. 11 remains a mystery.”
Even though high-level Iraqi officials have publicly called for their release, for all practical purposes, the Iranians have disappeared into the U.S.-sanctioned “coalition detention†system that has been criticized as arbitrary and even illegal by many experts on international law.
The five men remain in U.S. custody and have not been formally charged with a crime.
“They have disappeared. I don’t know if they’ve gone into the enemy combatant system,†said Gary Sick, an Iran expert at Columbia University. “Nobody on the outside knows.â€
A spokesman for the Multinational Forces Iraq (MFI), Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, told IPS this week “They are still in ‘coalition detention’ in accordance with the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1546, 1637 and 1723.†He provided no further information regarding their status or treatment.
April 1st, 2007 at 7:48 pmYeah McCain, I’m getting the full picture now.
Prick.
April 1st, 2007 at 7:49 pmFaiz - Apparently you didn’t get the memo - Amanda and your trusty minions pretty much beat this news to death. (Was this a different venture than the previous “$5 rug special” with Lindsey Graham??)
April 1st, 2007 at 7:49 pmMcCain must resign from the Senate immediately, because his bogus stunt has cost American taxpayers millions of dollars for his trip over to Iraq and all the military protection provided to keep him safe. Without all the protection, he would have been captured by insurgents, tortured, and then beheaded or had a drill bit bored into his skull.
April 1st, 2007 at 7:49 pmSen. John McCain strolled briefly through an open-air market in Baghdad today in an effort to prove that Americans are “not getting the full picture†of what’s going on in Iraq.
Thanks for giving us the ‘full picture’, John…all 100 soldiers, 3 Blackhawks, and 2 Apache gunships worth of it.
April 1st, 2007 at 7:50 pmIs that supposed to be Straight Talk ?
April 1st, 2007 at 7:52 pmWC sez:
Heck…I wish I had 100 soldiers, 3 Blackhawks, and 2 Apache gunships to cover my narrow ass…I’d be the freest-walking muther-fscker you ever did see! ^_^
April 1st, 2007 at 7:53 pmSen. Graham must resign as well. Their concocted trip to Iraq, with the help of Karl Rove, has gone beyond contemptable and is outrageous!
April 1st, 2007 at 7:55 pmMcCain is the sort of fellow who, while claiming to be safe in Iraq, wouldn’t set foot in Detroit without a full security team. Then again, who would?
April 1st, 2007 at 7:55 pm“McCain Strolls Through Baghdad Market, Accompanied By 100 Soldiers, 3 Blackhawks, 2 Apache Gunships”
They forgot to mention the under the shirt kevlar Mr puffy sleeves has on, and the the flack vest. Put’um in humvee with some troops to tour the al-Anbar province. Maybe he could get 10 rugs for 5 bucks. Shop till you drop McCain!
April 1st, 2007 at 7:55 pmI wonder how much that cost our tax dollars.
April 1st, 2007 at 7:57 pmHow long did McCain take his stroll for the photo-op? 15 minutes or just 5 minutes? He is lucky the Baghdad sniper was not around, because he likes to shoot our soldiers in the head. John boy wanted to look tough without a military helmet on for 5 minutes.
April 1st, 2007 at 7:58 pmThink about it…100 soldiers, 3 Blackhawks, and 2 Apache gunships. Those rugs actually cost the American public about $40,000 with McCain’s little entourage in tow. Doesn’t sound like a good shopping day? Is this the way he would run our country if elected? He would have been better off staying home, going to Wal-Mart and getting those same rugs for about 25 bucks a piece.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:00 pmI’d like to see how brave he is by ‘freely walking’ around Baghdad without all that protection, we will then see how safe he feels. Motherf*cking a$$hole.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:01 pmFaiz - Apparently you didn’t get the memo - Amanda and your trusty minions pretty much beat this news to death. (Was this a different venture than the previous “$5 rug special†with Lindsey Graham??)
Comment by valiant venus
No worries, Faiz, Haggie is easily bored by Republican idiocy.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:01 pmShe likes to be the idiot…
How much money did this cost me as an American taxpayer for McCain to make a campaign stop in Iraq? Will his campaign be reimbursing the expense? This shit must stop! Those soldiers are not over there to provide cover for political grandstanding (and if they are it is past time to get them home!)
April 1st, 2007 at 8:02 pmI’ll lay odds Rove urged McCain to go to Baghdad and walk around as a moving target to give Bush his Gulf Of Tonkin moment. Ya know, unless those damn Brits upstaged him.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:02 pmIt’s perfectly safe… just look at that bulletproof vest he’s wearing.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:02 pmAnother day in paradise.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:03 pm[…] He also wore a bulletproof vest. […]
April 1st, 2007 at 8:03 pmJust because he strolls down the streets wearing body armor and accompanied by an armed body guard doesn’t mean it’s not safe. I live in a very safe town and yet I always make sure to wear body armor and bring an armed guard whenever I go for a stroll. The weight of the body armor makes the stroll a better workout, and the armed guard gives me someone to talk to, since my iPod broke. You got a problem with that?
April 1st, 2007 at 8:04 pm#17 - Uncle Ho
Please don’t hold back, tell us how you REALLY feel. :D
April 1st, 2007 at 8:05 pmJTitor > more like a few million bucks. Factor in the special trip, special lodging, and all that military hardware too to protect the Senators.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:07 pm“Freely”
April 1st, 2007 at 8:07 pm-What Sen. McCain meant to say was that he wasn’t wearing any underwear. Yuk
#117 Uncle Ho:
I want to see McCain freely walking around Baghdad without protection, too.
DEAD MAN WALKING! {:-)
April 1st, 2007 at 8:09 pmWe can always tell when Mighty Aphrodite is out on probation….
April 1st, 2007 at 8:09 pmThinkProgress, can you put in a FOI request to find out just how much it cost the American Taxpayer so Presidential Candidate John McCain could “walk freely” in Baghdad?
April 1st, 2007 at 8:11 pmI gather from the tenor of the comments here that nobody is over the age of 15.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:13 pmThose North Vietnamese captors of his must have banged his head often enough to trigger senile dementia in McCain.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:13 pmHey, even I could walk down the most dangerous streets in Baghdad in an IRONMAN suit!
What a joke.
Maybe it’s an April Fool joke only, who’s the fool?
…
April 1st, 2007 at 8:14 pmWell, I’m left with the observation that famous Philadelphia resident, Duncan Black, recently made…”Baghdad couldn’t possibly be any more dangerous than Philadelphia these days!” Apparently he was referring to the fact that Philadelphia now has way more murders thus far in 2007 than the far larger cities of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:15 pmWhat would McCain know about war? He was a pilot. He never stood in the mud or rain or desert dust and saw the eyes and anguish of the people he killed. He sat in a plane and dropped bombs. What a pussy. I’m glad no one got killed while he did his little sissy dance. I can only imagine what the soldiers and pilots, et al had to say about him behind his back.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:16 pmMaybe McCain when he retires he could open a little coffee shop and sell those same rugs for 10 bucks each to all the American tourist flocking to this Mecca of good prices. They may even change the name from Iraq to Waq-Mart! It could be like one big store. Maybe McCain has something here. Maybe the Repugnents have the better idea? If only the world could be more like Wal-Mart, then life would be good?
April 1st, 2007 at 8:16 pmThat will be nice to go on a date like that with an army behind you….
See things looking good…!!
April 1st, 2007 at 8:18 pmPresident Bush Is The April Fool!
Sunday 1st of April 2007
by Jay Randal
April Fool’s Day has arrived and the number one fool in America is President George W. Bush the imbecile!
George is officially the worst president in US history and most Americans cannot wait to see him leave DC!
His entire presidency has been a unmitigated disaster for our nation and a disgrace for the entire world too!
He has completely destroyed the country of Iraq and caused its population to disintegrate into ethnic mobs!
The horrific violence in Iraq has exploded into out of control carnage and savage mayhem that never ends!
American soldiers are caught in the crossfire between Sunni extremist insurgents and Shiite Islamic fanatics!
While the orgy of death incenerates Iraq: Dubya and his loyal dummies in Pentagon plot new war on Iran!
The US Congress goes on Easter holiday vacation and the start of global nuclear WWIII looms on horizon?
( Jay Randal, political activist and writer in Georgia, USA.)
PS: Sen. McCain is also an April Fool today in Baghdad, Iraq!
April 1st, 2007 at 8:18 pmI gather from the tenor of the comments here that nobody is over the age of 15.
Comment by Douglas Watts
Oh no did we offend your sensibilities Mr Watts. We are so sorry! You are right we are being juvenile. Please…please let me go shoot myself now….oh wait I have a better idea. Get the fu@k out here if you don’t like whats being said!
April 1st, 2007 at 8:19 pmWhat would have been funny, is while McCain was walking down the street talking, the gunships and armoured vehicles and soldiers, all quietly turned off onto side streets and disappeared.
When McCain stopped talking (a few hours later) and looked around, and saw nothing but smiling Iraqi’s, well…… theres a Kodak moment.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:23 pm# 32 Comment by Andrew — April 1, 2007 @ 8:15 pm
“…â€Baghdad couldn’t possibly be any more dangerous than Philadelphia these days!†”
That is pure bull.
I walked around in Philadelphia last September, without being accompanied by 100 soldiers, 3 Blackhawks, 2 Apache Gunships, without a kevlar vest, and without an NRA cap. I felt perfectly safe. Doing that in Baghdad outside (and on some days, INSIDE) the Green Zone would be SUICIDE!
As I said, too bad McCain didn’t walk around outside the Green Zone the way I walked in Philadelphia. That would be one less lying NeoCon to pollute our land.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:25 pmwouldn’t set foot in Detroit without a full security team. Then again, who would?
I visit my folks in Mich every year, and make a point of goign to downtown Detroit. I always get off the freeway and drive on the surface streets.
Is it surreal? Certainly sometimes it is. Is it sad? Invariably yes. Are there things to see and do in the city? Most definitely. Not that 98% of those living in the suburbs could tell you.
This guy from Maine ventures into downtown Detroit more often than the scared little suburbanites that live there do. Too bad for them.
BTW - check out detroitblog.org. It is of interest.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:25 pmmcpain is a coward. sorry, has to be said. claiming free walking conditions while supported by a cast of hundreds is a lie. Liar liar, chimpmunk cheeks on fire. lying coward; what a long ways from what he seemed to be some years ago. maybe he should go on walkabout, just him and no one else. then we’d be done with his ugly ass. lying cowards seem to be the rupugnant cast these days.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:26 pmCan Iraqis walk freely? Just askin’.
http://homersworld.blogspot.com/ uploaded_images/ bush-mccain-733960.jpg
April 1st, 2007 at 8:28 pmWhen McCain stopped talking (a few hours later) and looked around, and saw nothing but smiling Iraqi’s, well…… theres a Kodak moment.
Comment by I WORFEUS
Don’t tease….I was soooo hoping…
April 1st, 2007 at 8:29 pmPerhaps there are neighborhoods in Baghdad that one can freely walk through, but McCain simply chose a different one? It’s possible… ;)
April 1st, 2007 at 8:31 pmWORFEUS > withen about 5 to 10 minutes after McCain was alone walking in Baghdad, then he would either have been shot to death or taken hostage. He never had the full torture treatment in Vietnam, nor the drill bit bored into his brain. John wins the second place award for the biggest dunce fool of this year, after Dubya who won first place title.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:31 pmI concur that we should know WHY the US military is working in support of a presidential campaign photo op, and HOW MUCH it cost.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:32 pmIt all depends on who your definition of you is and how much freely costs. Any terrist named You can walk for nothing. QED and not BS.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:32 pmThe sad thing is, if we had just spent the money we’ve put into this war from the get go on 100 guards, three blackhawks and two appachies for each citizen of Iraq so they could walk around safely, we still would come out ahead.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:33 pmPerhaps McCain’s extended stay at at the ‘Hanoi Hilton” unhinged him. If so, perhaps he should look into the “baghdad Hilton” for a nice padded room.
Hiya Zooey; have you heard this one?
‘there was a valiant from venus, whose body was shaped like a penis…….
snark : D
April 1st, 2007 at 8:35 pmJohn McCain could walk around without any shortage of security, just as George W Bush could succeed in life without any hint of intelligence, hard work or competence. So they assume the same environment (a hundred troops and five choppers diverted for McCain’s protection, Daddy Bush and friend’s insuring George would fail ever upward) applies to everyone.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:36 pmHey I’ve got it, he’s doing some advance publicity work for his campaign plank, the “100 soldiers and 5 choppers for every Iraqi” strategy plan.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:40 pm(To the tune of “The 12 Days of Christmas”)
McCain strolls through
April 1st, 2007 at 8:40 pmBaghdad Market,
With 100 Soldiers,
3 Blackhawk Choppers,
2 Apache Gunships,
And a kev-lar bullet-proof vest…
Obviously republican senators believe that staying the course on the “war” is critical . . . to perhaps becoming president. McCain obviously doesn’t have a clue about the reality of what Americans think about the continuation and failure of bush’s war. I’m sure the loved ones of American soldiers who have been killed or wounded appreciate the senators efforts to justify the expense and lives in lost in Iraq due to the bush/cheney/bush plan to make the president the king of the USA.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:41 pmWhat ever happened to John McCain?
April 1st, 2007 at 8:42 pmPathetic beyond belief… Iraq was a quiet brutal dictatorship under Saddam. People had jobs, electricity, running water, health care, food.
After the idiot Bush intervened and occupied Iraq, it has been turned into a vile hellhole… Heck of a job, Bushie…
If Bush is so stupid as to bomb Iran, the Iranians will close off the Straits of Hormuz, thus choking off much oil to the West. American gasoline prices will double and Bush will be Impeached in short order… Americans seem to be willing to take a lot of shit from Bush, but recklessness that immediately leads to a doubling of gasoline prices will be too much for us to stomach.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:44 pmThat’s all she wrote…
And another little side-bar to Aspell’s report” DOD announced the deaths of SIX more American service personnel in Iraq over the week-end”.
I’d like to ask John McCain, “What in the hell did these six additional Americans die for?”
SeeDee
April 1st, 2007 at 8:45 pmIt appears that “walking freely” is defined as 100 soldiers, 3 Blackhawk helicoptors, 2 Apache Gunships and 1 bulletproof vest. I guess he didn’t need a helmet because he has poop for brains.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:45 pmWhy not go to the John McCain for President website and send him a direct comment. McCain has lost his way.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:46 pm[…] McCain is walking, and John McCain is talking, just as with nary a care John McCain has walked and talked before in Anytown, USA. Posted by Mona @ 7:52 pm, Filed under: […]
April 1st, 2007 at 8:48 pmBAGHDAD - After a heavily guarded trip to a Baghdad market, Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) insisted Sunday that a U.S.-Iraqi security crackdown in the capital was working and said Americans lacked a “full picture” of the progress. The U.S. military later reported six soldiers were killed in roadside bombings southwest of Baghdad.
“Working” is relative if you’re the one who has died.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:49 pmPerhaps there are neighborhoods in Baghdad that one can freely walk through, but McCain simply chose a different one? It’s possible… ;)
Comment by Mark — April 1, 2007 @ 8:31 pm
Lets see, his goal was to demonstrate on camera to the American people that he could walk safely through some streets in Iraq to support his earlier ridiculous statement that he could.
And you think to accomplish this, he would for some reason choose an unsafe street?
:|
That makes a lot of sense.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:50 pm#55 C. Davie
“What in the hell did these six additional Americans die for?â€
So Graham could steal five rugs.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:56 pmYou mean, this isn’t some sort of sick April Fool’s joke?? My god, we are truly through the Looking Glass.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:57 pmOr am I being slow, and the wink was supposed to indicate you were being sarcastic?
April 1st, 2007 at 8:57 pmAs for the 5 cheap Iraqi prayer rugs for 5 bucks: Perhaps the Iraqis put Anthrax on them, like we did to American Indians with smallpox infested blankets? If Graham breaks out with sores, then 5 bucks was NOT a deal.
Did Sen. Lindsey Graham notice the crab-lice crawling on the rugs? Oh well he will know by the time he getsthem back home to his wife > lol.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:57 pm#57
There is no McCain for President website I could find with Google.
However, there is his Senate website, which I used today to point out his dissembling assertions about “walking freely” in Baghdad. I ended my webform email to him with, “Keep up your cowardly lying senator, you only prove once more what the whole world now knows about NeoCons.”
The URL is: http://mccain.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm?ID=64
April 1st, 2007 at 9:01 pmHey, that worked so well, maybe we should considering sending the entire cabinet over there on a shopping trip. Antiques Roadshow finally hits Baghdad! Mission accomplished.
April 1st, 2007 at 9:02 pmEveryone walks freely down a Baghdad street. Right before your head gets blown off.
April 1st, 2007 at 9:06 pmMethinks McCain’s extended stay in the “Hanoi Hilton” has unhinged him. He should check into the “Baghdad Hilton” in a nice padded room.
Hiya Zooey, have you heard this one?
There once was a valiant from venus, who had a body shaped like a ……
snark. : D
April 1st, 2007 at 9:06 pmThe story of the rugs makes me remember a trip to Haiti many years ago. I was alone, without military guards like McCain fool, in the Iron Market in Port-au-Prince. I picked up a small oil painting and the artist was desperate to make a sell. He said 20 bucks, but I said not interested, so he said 10 bucks so I bought it. I could have offered him 5 bucks for it, but I knew he needed the money badly. The painting hangs near my PC at this very moment. Graham should have given that Iraqi way more money than 5 bucks at one dollar per rug. He is a vile disgusting Senator and shame on him and McCain too.
April 1st, 2007 at 9:09 pmHiya Zooey, have you heard this one?
There once was a valiant from venus, who had a body shaped like a ……
snark. : D
Comment by Uncle Ho
Heh. Nice one, Uncle Ho.
I expect VV is used to jokes at her expense. If she’s not, she better catch up. :-D
April 1st, 2007 at 9:11 pmThis is f*cking laughable. McCain is now nothing more than an exercise in self-parody…
Have some fun with that one, Jon and Stephen!
April 1st, 2007 at 9:12 pmHow much money did this PR stunt cost our military and other government agencies?
Does Pelosi need 100 soldiers and 5 combat helicopters for her trip to Syria about which the Republicans are complaining so vehemently?
April 1st, 2007 at 9:15 pm[…] bit at Think Progress reveals more truth than perhaps McCain intended. NBC’s Nightly News provided further details […]
April 1st, 2007 at 9:16 pmemaldinak, McCain’s “chipmunk cheeks” are caused by the broken jaw that the North Vietnamese gave him during the war.
April 1st, 2007 at 9:18 pm[…] over at ThinkProgress. […]
April 1st, 2007 at 9:22 pmhere is the sad part about McCains attempt to prove to everyone he can “walk freely”. He wanted to prove his point so he decided to risk the lives of more american soldiers to help him demonstrate how he can walk freely in his bullet proof vest and surounded by soldiers. Way to go, risk the lives of our soldiers to make a point which he didn’t make. The only point he made was it requires a 100 military soldiers, armed and miltary equipment to make a simple walk. What a FOOL!
April 1st, 2007 at 9:23 pmDoesn’t McCain have grandkids he could be spending his golden years with, instead of continuously looking like a damned fool?
April 1st, 2007 at 9:24 pmI think we found a new justification for the war. We will spend a billion dollars so Lindsy can buy 5 rugs at a buck apiece. Sounds like a good deal to me.
April 1st, 2007 at 9:26 pmIn a press conference after his Baghdad tour, McCain told a reporter that his visit to the market today was proof that you could indeed “walk freely†in some areas of Baghdad.
Everyone knows that when I leave my crib I have 100+ armed to the teeth “friends” watchin’ my back. That’s just the way I roll. Apparently so does McCain.
April 1st, 2007 at 9:29 pm[…] (via ThinkProgress.org) McCain Strolls Through Baghdad Market, Accompanied By 100 Soldiers, 3 Blackhawks, 2 Apache Gunships […]
April 1st, 2007 at 9:33 pmWoven Rugs? I’d check that wool or cotton for traces of depleted uranium if I were Graham. The Iraqi countryside is strewn with it.
April 1st, 2007 at 9:33 pmemaldinak, McCain’s “chipmunk cheeks†are caused by the broken jaw that the North Vietnamese gave him during the war.
Comment by Heraldblog — April 1, 2007 @ 9:18 pm
not a horrible price for an anonymous, jet-powered killer to pay at the hands of the relatives of his victims…
April 1st, 2007 at 9:37 pm.
He can “walk freely” in Baghdad.
Is that anything like being able to “talk freely” on the phone in America?
April 1st, 2007 at 9:41 pm[…] Progess has video of an NBC News report on Senator McCain’s visit to Baghdad. McCain went for a walk in an open air market in Baghdad to prove the point he made last weekabout […]
April 1st, 2007 at 9:42 pmThat’s a great way to get a good deal. Take 100 American heavily armed soldiers, with three Blackhawk helicopters and two Apache gunships overhead, and I’m sure I can get 5 rugs for 5 bucks anywhere in the world.
April 1st, 2007 at 9:46 pm“Walked Freely” WHILE WEARING A BULLET-PROOF VEST(SEE ACCOMPANYING PHOTO TO THIS POST), GUARDED BY TROOPS ARMED TO THE TEETH, McPAIN FURTIVELY LOOKING EVERY WHICH WAY IN FEAR OF HIS MISERABLE LIFE WHILE TAKING CAUTIOUS STEPS IN TREPIDATION AND CRAPPING IN HIS PANTS—-YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE SPREADING STINKING BROWN STAIN ON HIS PANTS FROM THE REAR—PITY THE POOR TROOPS WHO HAD TO SMELL HIS FOETID STOOL!!!!! JUST AN EVERYDAY WALK THAT HE TOOK, ACCOMPANIED BY 100 TROOPS ARMED TO THE TEETH, 3 BLACKHAWKS AND 2 APACHE GUNSHIPS—-AND EVEN THEN McPAIN HAD TO ASSURED THAT NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN TO HIM(IF HE WERE LUCKY, THAT IS)—-WHAT A LYING HYPOCRITE, FLIP-FLOPPING PASTY-FACED SCHIZOID PSYCHO MADMAN AND SELL-OUT McPAIN IS!!!!!!!
April 1st, 2007 at 9:47 pmDid he find any magic ponies yet?
April 1st, 2007 at 9:50 pmTrying to look presidential…but with a vest !!
MCcain claims he is just getting some fresh air outside…in Baghdad streets.
April 1st, 2007 at 9:57 pmMy God. He’s right. Since it’s clearly such a wild success, we should be out of there ina few weeks.
Seriously, McCain is such a desperate old man.
April 1st, 2007 at 10:00 pmMy guess is the only “surge” McCain observed was the surge of blood pressure he felt as he walked the streets of Baghdad, knowing he looked absolutely inviting in a sniper’s crosshairs!
Imagine if Dick Cheney feels inspired to “walk freely” in the streets of Baghdad after McCain’s little visit. After all, according to the Dick, the insurgency was in it’s last throes a couple of years ago. It’s got to be safe! I’m sure he’ll feel confident enough to only need an entire division of heavily armed troops around him, and entire squadron of attack helicopters and F-15’s above him. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he even borrowed the Pope-Mobile for a little sight-seeing tour around the city.
You know, not much cover at all.
April 1st, 2007 at 10:04 pmWhat a crock. I just called his Senate office and left a message about his “safe” walk….
Sad sad sad…
April 1st, 2007 at 10:05 pmThis is just a f*cking disgrace and a grave insult to Iraqis. After 650,000 civilians killed this stupid a-hole, walks on the street to prove everything is fine in Iraq?
Furthermore, this is beyod racist. This incredibly stunt show was made to make US citizens believe that there is progress in Iraq, but it has nothing to do with providing Iraqis with the necessary services in order to live their lives once the US bombed their lives away.
April 1st, 2007 at 10:10 pm#87 - Juan
Wow. Well said.
April 1st, 2007 at 10:14 pmVery powerful.
These clowns McCain and McAbel (Graham) are almost too funny for words.
Can’t they even do a photo op right? Surrounded by Soldiers and wearing flak jackets?
By golly, no we are not getting the full story about the success of the surge. It’s much worse than you two pretend.
For crying out load, they wouldn’t need this kind of protection as guests of Kim Jung Ill.
Meanwhile the Republican causus recognizes that there will be waning support for the war after August….no matter if the surge seems to temporarily work or not. At least that is waht they told Patreus.
April 1st, 2007 at 10:14 pmI’m thinking that with that much protection, I could walk onto Normandy Beach in the D-Day attack and feel safe.
What a clown.
April 1st, 2007 at 10:17 pmThe strategy of those plotting against America was successful in that their coordinated effort to avoid placing a bullet through McCain’s empty skull or to avoid blowing up this scarecrow politico was delivered with alarming accuracy. They determined it would be more harmful to America to allow McCain to remain a viable candidate for the US presidency in 2008 than to do him harm.
April 1st, 2007 at 10:23 pmMore properly, what McCain was wearing was a ballistic panel, or what the US military calls Small Arms Protective Insert (SAPI) plates. Standard-issue body armor includes what you probably commonly think of as a “bullet-proof vest,” a woven Kevlar-fiber garment. This is kevlar vest is then augmented with ballistic panels made from metal, ceramic, or polyethylene which slide into pockets in the front and back of the vest and protect the heart and lungs. What McCain had on is a set of these panels, without the Kevlar vest underneath.
April 1st, 2007 at 10:28 pmThere is something decidedly and persistently magical about the U. S. Senate. It is truly alarming. Take for example, an Army lawyer and a Navy pilot are elected to the senate and suddenly they are military tactical experts. In reality, an Army lawyer knows less about military tactics, techniques, and procedures then a private first class in an infantry fire team. It does not matter that the lawyer may have spent thirty years in the military. He probably never cleaned a rifle except during “summer camp.”
A navy pilot, on the other hand, has just slightly more qualifications in military tactics, techniques, and procedures then that of the lawyer. This is because of his survival, escape, evasion, resistance, and military firearms qualification training.
Be all that as it may, militarily, trying to explain the difference between walking freely and walking securely is a fool’s errand. Who gives a rat’s behind if one can walk “free?†In the context of war, what could it possibly mean? Free, in the sense that McCain used it, is nothing more then a catchy phrase that has absolutely no standard of measurement in military success or failure. What it demonstrates most is that he will say anything to get you to listen and do anything to make his point. Even to the extent that it endangers those around him. President?
I never thought I would see the day, but I guess it has finally happened. The patients are running the asylum. Their bungling continues to cost lives. The one thing that I cherished most in my thirty years of service to my country is the value we, as Americans, placed on life, our own and others. I do not get that feeling anymore. Now it is all so surreal. It is a weird kind of chess where there is just one color and only kings and pawns.
April 1st, 2007 at 10:29 pm[…] military to NBC News seemed to show McCain wearing a bulletproof vest during his visit. Watch it: Think Progress » McCain Strolls Through Baghdad Market, Accompanied By 100 Soldiers, 3 Blackhawks, 2… McCain recently claimed that there “are neighborhoods in Baghdad where you and I could walk […]
April 1st, 2007 at 10:33 pmAfter seeing the picture I am reminded of the clip of Michael Dukakis looking ridiculous riding around in a tank during the 88 presidential campaign. You can only hope that the press took some good wide angle pictures to show the “show”, and that this is McCain’s “Michael Dukakis’” moment. It’s only too bad in happened during the run up to the presidential primary and not the run up to the general election.
April 1st, 2007 at 10:38 pmI do have one question, what the hell happened to John McCain? Does he have an evil twin? (I guess that makes two questions)
any word on whether mccain saw zarqawi?
April 1st, 2007 at 10:38 pm[…] Here’s the video: http://thinkprogress.org/2007/04/01/mccain-iraq-stroll […]
April 1st, 2007 at 10:41 pmWell, I guess that settles it–we can come home now. Mission accomplished, right?
April 1st, 2007 at 10:45 pmWith a guard contingent like these two senators had, I could burn a cross in front of the Martin Luther King, Jr memorial in Atlanta at Easter Sunrise while lynching Jesse Jackson (I in full KKK regalia) and escape harm. Without the guards, there would be a slightly different ending.
April 1st, 2007 at 10:46 pmHe was walking freely. they blew the fuck out of anything else that moved.
April 1st, 2007 at 10:47 pm#95 - pgw,
April 1st, 2007 at 10:48 pmMcCain did not even see the light.
6 soldiers were killed today just south of where McCain was staging his heavily fortified photo-op.
Did these soldiers die because their support detail was taken away and sent to protect McCain’s sorry ass?
April 1st, 2007 at 10:48 pmSen. John McCain strolled briefly through an open-air market in Baghdad today in an effort to prove that Americans are “not getting the full picture†of what’s going on in Iraq.
There hasn’t been a potential presidential candidate this divorced from political reality since Ross Perot self-destructed in a raging fit of paranoia. Can anyone be so hard up that they would hitch themselves to a McCain run? I picture a McCain running mate to be cut from the same confused cloth as Perot’s Adm. Stockdale; no one of real political heft would gamble on his mercurial nature.
April 1st, 2007 at 10:49 pmPlease tell me this walking freely stunt is an April Fool’s Day joke.
April 1st, 2007 at 10:49 pmOn second thought don’t tell me. It’s only funny if it really happened, and I need a laugh right now.
#101 - Barbara,
April 1st, 2007 at 10:53 pmIt was not a joke. It was a travesty. I can tell you once more in about an hourand three minutes.
So is McCain’s election campaign going to pay for this photo op?
April 1st, 2007 at 10:53 pmDid we just pay for a PR stump? We put our soldiers in danger and days behind the important work they are doing just to help McCain run his Presidential campaign and save face from Wolf Blitzer???? Fuck me in the ass now and make give you all of my money for the bad lay. MOST.EXPENSIVE.CAMPAIGN.STOP.EVER!
April 1st, 2007 at 10:56 pmTwo consecutive posts of his disappeared into the ether. Meanwhile, trolls were allowed to continue without hindrance. His emails to the TP team were both unanswered and unacknowledged.
Not for the first time, he wondered, “why bother”?
April 1st, 2007 at 10:57 pmThe Denver Atomic Clock is off by 4 minutes. My response in #102 s/b one hour and 7 minutes
April 1st, 2007 at 10:58 pmWhen was last time one of us walked outside with a bullet proof vest? what a joke! Who is this guy kidding?
April 1st, 2007 at 11:03 pmIt’s great that St. John is taking himself out of the 2008 race with all this jibberjabber, but when are we going to get St. Rudy talking about Iraq? We have to get rid of him too you know!
April 1st, 2007 at 11:03 pmDenver s/b Boulder in my #105.
April 1st, 2007 at 11:04 pmthat remark was somewhat reminescent of Rumsfeld’s famous “if you fly over Iraq you can see that parts of it are not blown to bits” remark.
and yet the MSM can’t get enough.
April 1st, 2007 at 11:12 pmThese are but a few examples of the commonly applied techniques used by this administration and people like McCain. This is what they know — intimidation and misinformation. The intention is to alter media coverage of the Iraq catastrophy so as to create a false impression of favorability and righteousness. It is unfortunate that to some degree they succeed.
Peace!
April 1st, 2007 at 11:13 pmOn the bright side of this disgraceful behavior by a U.S. senator: If this little walk in the marketplace would have happened even a year ago, I doubt if the MSM would have the cojones to report the context of the walk. It’s progress when the reporter tell us how many soldiers and helicopters it took to assure the safety of McCain and his “free walk.” We’re making progress, one phony story at a time.
April 1st, 2007 at 11:13 pmGraham paid $5.00 for his five rugs, but they cost McCain his chance to be President. Don’t worry taxpayers, Karl Rove paid for this trip out of his own pocket to be done with McCain for good.
April 1st, 2007 at 11:18 pm#107 - grytpype,
April 1st, 2007 at 11:20 pmLately, Rudy has been most effective in that area. Three wives is not a statement of family values, first one was a second cousin. Mob associations. Not vetting his appointees. If he gets the Republic nomination, the Democrats could win with the Taco Bell Chihuahua.
[…] ThinkProgress has it, McCain “recently claimed that there “are neighborhoods in Baghdad where you and I could […]
April 1st, 2007 at 11:28 pmFreely he says?
Hmmm… lemme see… 100 troops (including vehicles), 3 Blackhawks, a couple Apaches (probably a drone or two, too)… okay, so that’s tick-tick-tick, tick-tick-tick-tic, tick-tick-tick,… ka-chunk, ka-chunk, whirrrrrr.
Okay, so it looks like Johnnie and Company’s little shopping spree probably cost the taxpayers only a few hundred grand.
But Lindsay got a really good deal on those rugs, right?
Right!
April 1st, 2007 at 11:28 pmJosh Marshall called this McCain’s Dukakis-in-a-tank moment. I couldn’t agree more. The meta message of this photo op is, “I think the American voters are stupid!”
April 1st, 2007 at 11:30 pmIf you didn’t catch 60 Minutes this week you have to watch the lead story on how the drug companies co-opted our government to get the ultimate deal in the new Medicaid bill. They made a mockery of the Congressional procedure. The Republicans threatened a government official not to reveal before the vote in the House that the bill would cost $500 billion, not substantially less as originally projected. And now the drug companies are charging seniors and our government a ton more than they should because our government agreed that it cannot negotiate - drug companies name their price. By the way, the leading politicians and bureaucrats promptly took fat cat jobs with the drug industry right after they passed the bill. What a pay off, in addition to the hundred million in campaign donations by drug companies that year. Bush says if Democrats overturn the provision which ties the government’s hands from negotiating with the drug companies he will veto the bill. (This from the President who actually campaigned on untying our government’s hands from negotiating with the drug companies).
We’ve got greed and corruption galore with our taxpayer dollars. It’s a disgrace. And it’s emblematic of everything that’s wrong with Republicans these days. Please read it if you care. http://www.cbsnews.com/ stories/ 2007/ 03/ 29/ 60minutes/ main2625305.shtml
“”They’re suppose to have 15 minutes to leave the voting machines open and it was open for almost three hours,” Burton explains. “The votes were there to defeat the bill for two hours and 45 minutes and we had leaders going around and gathering around individuals, trying to twist their arms to get them to change their votes.”
Jones says the arm-twisting was horrible.
“We had a good friend from Michigan, Nick Smith, and they threatened to work against his son who wanted to run for his seat when he retired,” he recalls. “I saw a woman, a member of the House, a lady, crying when they came around her, trying to get her to change her votes. It was —it was ugly.”
When the prescription drug bill finally passed shortly before dawn, in the longest roll call in the history of the House of Representatives, much of the credit went to former Congressman Billy Tauzin, R-La., who steered it through the house.
“It’s just a messy process,” Tauzin says. “I mean, the old adage about if you like sausage or laws, you should not watch either one of them being made is true. It’s a messy process.”
Tauzin says that the voting machines were open for three hours “because the vote wasn’t finished.”
As for arms being twisted? “People were being talked to,” he says.”
April 1st, 2007 at 11:34 pmThnak you, Zoo. :)
April 1st, 2007 at 11:39 pmI think their all smoking somethng now.
April 1st, 2007 at 11:40 pmI hear the military gave a name to this little grocery expedition:
Operation Walk Freely
April 1st, 2007 at 11:43 pmThere were many areas of Michigan in which you could walk freely in 1863. This whole “Civil War” thing was just dreamed up by the media of the day in order to sell newspapers.
April 1st, 2007 at 11:50 pmHow much did McCain’s charade cost, and to what end? Was anybody convinced by this hoax? All this demonstrates is that if he gets elected, he will put on the same show as the Chimp. Man, the patients are running the asylum.
April 1st, 2007 at 11:55 pmTime to update your talking points, DEFEAT-O-CRATS! Three months ago a photo op like this would have taken over 200 troops, 6 Blackhawks, 4 Apaches and a half dozen members of G-Unit. Tell me now we’re not making progress on the ground, bitches!
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:00 amWalk freely and carry a company of combat troops.
Will we hear McCain tell us the insurgents are a bunch of dead-enders in their last throes? Perhaps he could find the deck of a carrier, there are a couple out in the Gulf right now
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:04 amTell me now we’re not making progress on the ground
Comment by Cmdr. Codpiece — April 2, 2007 @ 12:00 am
We’re not making progress on the ground.
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:06 amOk lets look at this republican slot of Candidates. This week we have one connected with mob ties, one who speaks of hate for the spanish language, and now McCain strolling through the streets of Bagdad looking like a fool. Geez.
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:10 amDamn, the Straight Talk Express has completely jumped the tracks and is heading down into No Credibility Creek under a full boiler. Look out below!
Really sad to see this guy end his career in such a spectacular flame-out.
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:13 am[…] complete picture? McCain says the American people aren’t seeing it in Iraq even as “three Blackhawk helicopters, and two Apache gunships overhead” him. McCain said this all wearing a bulletproof vest. It’s safe in Baghdad. […]
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:16 am[…] 1st, 2007 · No Comments John McCain is such a whiny little bitch.  I can’t believe he’s actually pretending to run for President again. Nobody […]
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:17 amTell me now we’re not making progress on the ground
Comment by Cmdr. Codpiece — April 2, 2007 @ 12:00 am
We’re not making progress on the ground.
Comment by I WORFEUS
That was hilarious!!
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:23 amJust my thoughts here. The truth is we are not seeing the truth of what is happening there, unfortunately the video and media captured here does nothing to show us the truth.
Do I think it is good he went you bet, those men and women that sit in D.C. and decide yes and no on military spending and war funding should see it first hand. That way when they vote yes or no they can actually have a little insight.
Dem. Rep. or Ind. I think that we would all agree this is a mess. At this point how and why we ended up there is pointless. We need to show up at the polls over the coming years and make sure we vote in those that are going to help get us out of this situation as quickly and safely as we can. They need to be talking to the troops living it everyday, find out their thoughts and experiences. We are going to be there for years to come we need to do the best we can to protect our men and women over there dying.
Get up, get involved, and make a difference.
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:27 amTruly a defining moment in bizarre. It’s like Nixon ranting about the Domino Theory and “peace with honor.” The image of a U.S. Senator — surrounded by choppers, grunts, and kevlar — picking his way through a Baghdad market just so he can make happy-talk later is as hilarious as it is offensive.
We’ve found our April Fool.
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:27 amI want to personally thank Senators McCain and Graham for demonstrating to the Iraqi rug makers that if they could afford an escort of 100 American Soldiers, 3 blackhawks, and 2 Apaches…they to can travel freely to and from in the market, seling their wares for poverty wages.
Things are going so well that I can’t stop smiling.
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:29 amProbably bode well not to walk around with your fly down.
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:31 amWell, Johnny….you didn’t really want to be President anyway, did you?
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:36 am[…] gunships. Oh, and he was wearing a bulletproof vest. In an uncharacteristic bout of journalism, NBC News has the video. If this is one of Baghdad’s safer neighborhoods, I can only wonder what the unsafe ones are […]
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:41 am[…] By 100, 3 Blackhawks, and More Filed under: Uncategorized — recar @ 4:44 am McCain Strolls Through Baghdad, Accompanied By 100, 3 Blackhawks, and More Sen. John McCain strolled briefly through an open-air market in Baghdad today in an effort to prove […]
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:42 am[…] Strolls Through Baghdad, Accompanied By 100, 3 Blackhawks, and More McCain Strolls Through Baghdad, Accompanied By 100, 3 Blackhawks, and More Sen. John McCain strolled briefly through an open-air market in Baghdad today in an effort to prove […]
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:45 amOur Native Americans must be proud of the job we’re doing, with all the Apaches, Blackhawks and Tomahawks we sent over there.
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:48 amWe are going to be there for years to come we need to do the best we can to protect our men and women over there dying.
Comment by Dirt
Not a word about Iraqis and their sovereignity in your whole post.
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:51 amBad John, bad John watcha gonna do, watcha gonna do when da press come fo’ you?
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:55 amWhen they sudedongdong come for you?
Let me go! Whatcha wanna do when they come for you?
Bad John, bad John whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do?
Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?
Bad John bad John whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do whatcha gonna do when da press come for you?
When you were seventy and you had bad dreams when you went to Iraq!
You had apache helicopters cover your back!
If you thinks that’s hot, then you must be cool.
Bad John, bad John whatcha gonna do whatcha gonna do?
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when da press come for you?
You chuck it down thas one,
You chuck it down thit one,
You chuck it down ya mother,
And ya chuck it down ya father,
Ya chuck it down a brother,
And ya chuck it down ya siter,
You chuck it down that one and you chuck it down Me!
Bad John, bad John whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when da truth come lookin’ fo’ you?
Nobody hit ya in Bagdad
Pleas stop acting like ya wer’ safe in Baghdad,
No soldier man will now ever give ya a break,
Then ya eyes will explain their shake.
Bad John, bad John, whatcha gonna do whatcha gonna do?
Whatcha gonna do now that the public will see right thru!
Why did you have to act the lie?
Don’t you know you’ll one day die?
Born of a mother with the love of a father,
Reflexion comes and reflexion goes,
I know sometime you wanna let go
We all know sometime you wanna let go…
Bad John, bad John whatcha gonna do whatcha gonna do?
whatcha gonna do if ya soul is thru?
Your too bad,
your too rude,
your too bad,
your too rude,
Bad John, bad John, whatcha gonna do whatcha gonna do?
When they come for you?
Whatcha gonna do whatcha gonna do when they come for you?
You chuck it down that one,
you chuck it down this one,
you chuck it down ya mother,
and you chuck it down your brother
and you chuck it down your sister
AND YOU CHUCK IT DOWN ON ALL OF US!
– Bob Marley (rip), revised
http://www.anklebitingpundits.com/content/?p=1976#comments
Bad John, bad John watcha gonna do, watcha gonna do when da press come fo’ you?
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:55 amWhen they sudedongdong come for you?
Let me go! Whatcha wanna do when they come for you?
Bad John, bad John whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do?
Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?
Bad John bad John whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do whatcha gonna do when da press come for you?
When you were seventy and you had bad dreams when you went to Iraq!
You had apache helicopters cover your back!
If you thinks that’s hot, then you must be cool.
Bad John, bad John whatcha gonna do whatcha gonna do?
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when da press come for you?
You chuck it down thas one,
You chuck it down thit one,
You chuck it down ya mother,
And ya chuck it down ya father,
Ya chuck it down a brother,
And ya chuck it down ya siter,
You chuck it down that one and you chuck it down Me!
Bad John, bad John whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when da truth come lookin’ fo’ you?
Nobody hit ya in Bagdad
Pleas stop acting like ya wer’ safe in Baghdad,
No soldier man will now ever give ya a break,
Then ya eyes will explain their shake.
Bad John, bad John, whatcha gonna do whatcha gonna do?
Whatcha gonna do now that the public will see right thru!
Why did you have to act the lie?
Don’t you know you’ll one day die?
Born of a mother with the love of a father,
Reflexion comes and reflexion goes,
I know sometime you wanna let go
We all know sometime you wanna let go…
Bad John, bad John whatcha gonna do whatcha gonna do?
whatcha gonna do if ya soul is thru?
Your too bad,
your too rude,
your too bad,
your too rude,
Bad John, bad John, whatcha gonna do whatcha gonna do?
When they come for you?
Whatcha gonna do whatcha gonna do when they come for you?
You chuck it down that one,
you chuck it down this one,
you chuck it down ya mother,
and you chuck it down your brother
and you chuck it down your sister
AND YOU CHUCK IT DOWN ON ALL OF US!
– Bob Marley (rip), revised
http://www.anklebitingpundits.com/content/?p=1976#comments
No, the Arizona senator has not been drinking Kool Aid.
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:56 amIt seems as though he’s been on his knees, playing water sports with Dubya. There’s just no other explanation to the most absurd start to a presidential campaign in recent American history.
By McCain taking 100 military guys off the surge to protect him so he can prove his point of how safe it is. He has sacraficed another 7 of our brave men. All you have to do is read the statisics for this last month and see it is not SAFE. Where do we get these guys. Who in their right mind would want him for a president. What, how stupid. Shopping? idiot.
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:56 amWm
No he didn’t take any troops from regular patrols… 100 poor saps just lost a few hours of sack time. BTW,how many troops are in Baghdad , 40,000? How many are on pipeline patrol, 60,000? I just pulled these #”s out of my ass, but who really knows? let’s not forget the real purpose here. Its the the oil, stupid.
April 2nd, 2007 at 1:08 am[…] Senator John McCain (R-AZ) visited his local 7-eleven on Sunday, in an effort to show that Americans are “not getting the full picture” on the […]
April 2nd, 2007 at 1:19 amMcCain is probably directly responsible for the surge in US troops killed yesterday. Those helicopters guarding him were needed to protect the soldiers in the field. His personal stunt in Baghdad killed 6 soldiers. I hope the parents of the dead sue him personally for what he did. Shame on you McCain and tell Lindsey Graham to resign in disgrace too.
April 2nd, 2007 at 1:22 amI’m sure that none of you ever thought that any U.S. Senator that is going to take a “tour” of Baghdad is going to have a rather large security force.
April 2nd, 2007 at 1:24 amLike McCain and Graham, I also went to the flea market Sunday. I found an even better bargain: 25 books for $5.00! I too walked freely through the flea market, strolling carefree among the many stalls. I only needed 100 dollars, 3 good friends, 2 decent walking shoes, and a tight blouse!
What p*ssies these macho Repugs be!
April 2nd, 2007 at 1:26 amIf we would just 2,600,000,000 more troops to Iraq we could keep the entire population safe.
April 2nd, 2007 at 1:42 am[…] walk freely through the streets of Baghdad because of the recent troop surge. To prove his point, McCain strolled through the streets of Baghdad, freely but guarded by 100 soldiers, 3 Blackhawks, an…. Well I suppose he proved his point, too bad not every Iraqi or American can get that kind of […]
April 2nd, 2007 at 1:46 amDon’t forget,McCain was just 3 minutes from the Green Zone.
April 2nd, 2007 at 1:49 amAlso; pity the poor guy that sold Sen. Graham the rugs-that transaction was probably a death sentence.
[…] their lives to protect the man while he strolls through Baghdad as if everything’s all “hunky dory” in the capitol city of the Iraq Civil […]
April 2nd, 2007 at 1:49 amwho cares about iraq i could care less if they are alive or dead free or slaves . What about america ?? were not free anymore but i suppose thats all good as long as you can safely walk the streets in iraq . WTF wake up america!
April 2nd, 2007 at 1:50 am#141 Comment by Jason Troll — April 2, 2007 @ 1:24 am
If McCain hadn’t bragged that the head of the U.S. Command in Iraq could go “…out there [in Baghdad] almost every day in an unarmed humvee,†and if little Lindsey (scared of my shadow, but I talk a big brave NeoCon line) Graham hadn’t bragged about buying rugs, while BOTH of them were protected by 100 soldiers, 3 Blackhawks, 2 Apache Gunships, and kelvar vests, someone may have noticed that real Senators who visited Iraq needed protection too! That is why so many of us want to protect our troops and BRING THEM HOME, NOW!!
April 2nd, 2007 at 1:58 amwho cares about iraq i could care less if they are alive or dead free or slaves .
Comment by The Sleepless Pr0phet
Neither did George.
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:00 amGet some sleep.
“100 American soldiers, with three Blackhawk helicopters, and two Apache gunships overhead.” He needs two apache gunships to walk freely? That’s about as big a contradiction as you can get. Check out the apache’s armament
M230 30mm Gun
70mm (2.75 inch) Hydra-70 Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets
AGM-114 Hellfire anti-tank missiles
AGM-122 Sidearm anti-radar missile
AIM-9 Sidewinder Air-to-Air missiles
http://www.globalaircraft.org/planes/ah-64_apache.pl
Free, my ass. With one of those over each shoulder anyone could walk anywhere they weren’t wanted.
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:02 amSwash-Buckling Butt Pirate!!!
April 2nd, 2007 at 2:14 am“let’s not forget the real purpose here. Its the the oil, stupid.”
Who said sumin’ ’bout oil bitch? It’s about power. The US pumps more oil than Iran and Iraq combined. Iran about 4 million barrels a day and Iraq pumps about 2 million barrels a day. The US pumps 8.5