McCain: ‘I Regret That Now September Seems To Be A Magic Moment’
McCain: ‘I Regret That Now September Seems To Be A Magic Moment’
On February 4, 2007, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) predicted that “in the case of the Iraqi government cooperating and doing what’s necessary, we can know fairly well in a few months.” Four months later, however, there “has been little or no progress in achieving” key political benchmarks in Iraq, including a lack of “new laws governing the sharing of Iraq’s oil resources.”
Appearing on ABC’s This Week yesterday, McCain reversed course from his previous prediction, instead offering that never in his “wildest dreams” would he expect Gen. David Petraeus “to come back and say ‘everything’s fine now,’ just a few months after we’ve adopted a new strategy.” McCain added, “I regret that now September seems to be a magic moment.” Watch it:
McCain said, “General Petraeus is not happy with saying [in] September we have to know exactly whether we are going to stay or go.” But he neglected to mention that the September deadline was originally set by Petraeus, along with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker. Now, both he and Petraeus appear to be angling for more time.
McCain is hardly a credible messenger to be asking for more patience. In 2003, McCain said that “conflict” in Iraq would be “relatively short.” In 2005, he claimed that “a year from now, we will have a fair amount of progress [in Iraq] if we stay the course.” In 2006, after being forced to apologize for his previous claims, McCain went on to predict “we’re either going to lose this thing or win this thing within the next several months.” Three months ago, he said it was “our last shot” at success.
McCain should focus his “regret” on the fact that he been wrong at every turn in the Iraq disaster.
Transcript:
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: So your timeline, though, for this surge strategy is much shorter.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: Unfortunately. Unfortunately it’s much shorter, because I read the polls. I know what American public opinion is. And I regret that now September seems to be a magic moment.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Isn’t it?
MCCAIN: Ah, perhaps politically. Not as far as I’m concerned, militarily. Nor Petraeus either. General Petraeus is not happy with saying [in] September we have to know exactly whether we are going to stay or go.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So you expect him to come back and say we need more time.
MCCAIN: I don’t know what he’s gonna say. I’m hoping that he would come back and say that we’ve achieved a certain measure of success to give us some hope and optimism. I’m hoping that can happen. But not in my wildest dreams do I expect him to come back and say “everything’s fine now.” Just a few months after we’ve adopted a new strategy. That would be crazy.
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Maybe McInsane will surprise us with another “magic moment” – his disappearing act! Now that would elate and entertain a good percentage of americans.
June 11th, 2007 at 7:19 pm“Presidential contenders don’t lose wars, only libtards and surrender monkeys do”
There, I fixed a John McCain quote.
June 11th, 2007 at 7:19 pmNAYs — 38 Alexander (R-TN) Allard (R-CO) Bennett (R-UT) Bond (R-MO) Bunning (R-KY) Burr (R-NC) Chambliss (R-GA) Cochran (R-MS) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX) Craig (R-ID) Crapo (R-ID) DeMint (R-SC) Dole (R-NC) Domenici (R-NM) Ensign (R-NV) Enzi (R-WY) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Gregg (R-NH) Hatch (R-UT) Hutchison (R-TX) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Kyl (R-AZ) Lieberman (ID-CT) Lott (R-MS) Lugar (R-IN) Martinez (R-FL) McConnell (R-KY) Murkowski (R-AK) Roberts (R-KS) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Thune (R-SD) Vitter (R-LA) Voinovich (R-OH) Warner (R-VA) Present – 1 Stevens (R-AK) Not Voting – 7 Biden (D-DE) Brownback (R-KS) Coburn (R-OK) Dodd (D-CT) Johnson (D-SD) McCain (R-AZ) Obama (D-IL)
June 11th, 2007 at 7:23 pmWake me up when September ends.
June 11th, 2007 at 7:29 pmWhat are McCain’s poll numbers again, for his Presidential Bid?
Oh Yeah, I remember now… 14%.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/2008_republican_presidential_primary
June 11th, 2007 at 7:33 pmMcCain: [ and in September...we just add few more months , just like what we have been doing for years...]
June 11th, 2007 at 7:36 pmMcCain:
“I regret that now September seems to be a magic moment.â€
McCain translated into “Honest”:
“I regret that, whenever I suggest a reasonable date for evaluation, that date inevitably arrives at some point.”
June 11th, 2007 at 7:38 pmBTW, when did Stephanopoulos get those CRAZY cheek implant done?
He’s starting to look a little like Michael Jackson there, in that video clip.
June 11th, 2007 at 7:38 pmMcCain translated into “Honestâ€:
“I regret that, whenever I suggest a reasonable date for evaluation, that date inevitably arrives at some point.â€
Comment by spit take
Close but no cigar.
“I’m really sick and tired that whenever I suggest a reasonable date for evaluation, that date inevitably arrives at some point and I have to come up with a new rationale for endless war.â€
June 11th, 2007 at 7:40 pmI swear to god. 6 more months and we’ll know. For realz this time. And if not, in another 6 months for super realz…
Heh
June 11th, 2007 at 7:41 pmMcCain is senile and brain-dead, so he must resign/retire from the Senate.
June 11th, 2007 at 7:41 pmMcCain should focus his “regret†on the fact that he been wrong at every turn in the Iraq disaster.
Like every troll here.
June 11th, 2007 at 7:43 pmThis all just goes to prove how much of a maverick he is
June 11th, 2007 at 7:44 pmDems and Libs and Whatevers are like a bunch of little kids in the back seat of a car on a road-trip saying:
“Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”
Over, and over, and over, and over again…
June 11th, 2007 at 7:44 pmThanks for the correction, gummitch. You are right on target.
June 11th, 2007 at 7:46 pmAfter all, tomorrow never comes. Neither does next week, month or Friedman unit. All the while more troops are ground up in this civil war.
June 11th, 2007 at 7:47 pmWay to enable the peoplegrinder, McInSane.
There’s no point in even talking about September, Bush, BushCo, and the new chairman of the joints chiefs have all said to compare Iraq to South Korea, and that we will be there in 50 years – that this is a generational war.
June 11th, 2007 at 7:50 pm“key political benchmarks in Iraq, including a lack of “new laws governing the sharing of Iraq’s oil resources.”
The thing that McCain and all the other neoCONS will neglect to tell you about this wonderful law “governing the sharing of Iraq’s oil resources” is that it is a law written by Bush & Company and that the “sharing” is actually their giving 70% of their oil profits to US and British oil companies for 30 years. If they people in this country actually understood what the Bush Crime Family is trying to do, they would be screaming bloody murder. Unfortunately all they hear is that this law will share the oil resources in Iraq between the Shias, Sunnis and Kurds.
If the Iraqi parliament is ever stupid enough to sign this law, we will never be leaving Iraq. We will have to leave a large contingency of our military there to guard “our” oil resources.
First we invade Iraq and pretty much destroy the country and now we want them to give us 70% of the natural resources they need to rebuild their country as payment for the fact that we are now occupying their country. Bizzaro world!
June 11th, 2007 at 7:54 pmIn the earlier video, McCain is referring to the performance of the Iraqi government “in a few months,” while in the latter, he’s referring to U.S. military results, two completely different measurements. The war is a disaster, but comparing the two videos doesn’t clarify it at all.
Thank you.
Robert Philbin
June 11th, 2007 at 8:03 pmA real Date to watch will be the vote this fall regarding the fate of KIRKUK. This oil rich city was traditionally populated by Kurds and Turkamen…but Saddamm Hussein encourage a massive Migration of ethnic arabs (sunni’s) to the area . These groups Do not get along…and all think Kirkuk and its oil belongs to them.
June 11th, 2007 at 8:05 pmThe conflict between the Maliki Govt. and the Independence Minded Kurds will probably come to a head this fall.
Dems and Libs and Whatevers are like a bunch of little kids in the back seat of a car on a road-trip saying:
“Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?â€
Over, and over, and over, and over again…
Comment by Mr. President — June 11, 2007 @ 7:44 pm
#
Yep, and the republicans are just like the parents up front, running over every pedestrian they see, drinking, and shooting out the windows. All while telling the kids, “we’re almost there and the nightmare will end.”
June 11th, 2007 at 8:48 pmJohn Mc Cain has been a mouth piece for the Bush administration since he lost the nomination in 2000 to Lil George. He knows what the Bush mud machine did to him in 1999 – 2000, and he seemingly has been given the word that the mud machine will get him in the White House in 2008.
However, the plan did not count on the netroots, or betting the House and losing in 2006. Now he is befuddled, and is frip-fropping all around the globe.
June 11th, 2007 at 9:13 pm“Mr. President”:
“Dems and Libs and Whatevers are like a bunch of little kids in the back seat of a car on a road-trip saying:
‘Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?’ “
You conservatives really suck at analogies, don’t you?
Chris L. had a good reply. Mine is simply this: on the normal trip with parents in the front seat and kids in the back, nobody is killed. Even if the trip ends in tragedy, that’s hardly the same as invading a country on trumped-up pretexts and killing 1000s of their citizens, many of whom are non-combattants. DUH!!!
June 11th, 2007 at 9:26 pmI give up.
I have just about had it up to my tits in double talk from these guys. As much as I wish this was just one big nightmare, I have given up any hope that anything will happen to bring our sons and daughters home before January of 2009. Everyone who has any power to do anything wants the damn thing too f***ing much.
It’s time to just get over the fact that there is NOTHING that will end this war until we have new leadership in the Executive Branch. McCain’s opion won’t matter then. They day they swear in the new Democratic president is the day these kids will be lead home to safety.
June 11th, 2007 at 9:28 pmVomit by Mr. President — June 11, 2007 @ 7:44 pm
That’s because the kids know that the drivers are hopelessly lost and they are tired of being on the road to nowhere; they are hungry and all the money has been spent for gasoline for this trip to nowhere; they really need to go to the bathroom, but there is no relief in sight on this trip to nowhere.
That being said it is obvious that the drivers of the vehicle are a real trip.
June 11th, 2007 at 9:31 pmI regret that McCain has lost his mind.
June 11th, 2007 at 10:07 pmThe bitch has a lot more regrets than that. Key-rist.
June 11th, 2007 at 10:40 pm#18 Comment by Kate Henry — June 11, 2007 @ 7:54 pm
The thing that McCain and all the other neoCONS will neglect to tell you about this wonderful law “governing the sharing of Iraq’s oil resources†is that it is a law written by Bush & Company and that the “sharing†is actually their giving 70% of their oil profits to US and British oil companies for 30 years.
Spot on, Kate!
I just ranted over on the Blitzer article, that we need to have articles here on TP that give us something deep to talk about. Your info is that kind of thing. This way, we can be better informed as to what is really going on. Serving pablum as a basis for ranting is of no value.
June 11th, 2007 at 10:45 pm“this magic moment..
June 11th, 2007 at 10:49 pmwhen your jowls are close to mine,
will last forever, forever,
forever till the end of time………….”
HeyZeus !
June 11th, 2007 at 10:55 pmThat very song was going thru my head all the time I was reading this thread, but your lyrics are, well, lyrical!
davidual,
Your analogy is spot on, except that the course is one long downward spiral. We have been going in circles for the last 4 years, always turning the corner.
I would like to vomit down the back of Bush’s shirt and scream in his ear until he listens.
But the one voice he listens to resides in his head, in his imagination, the voice of Jebus telling him he is right and to ignore those pesky Americans.
June 11th, 2007 at 11:52 pmping
June 12th, 2007 at 12:09 amAre we there yet?
June 12th, 2007 at 7:40 amMom, dad, why are we on this trip?
Oh yeah, to get gas, I forgot.
Can we just stop once so I can pee?
Are we there yet?
Here son, look at these numbers, it ill help you pass the time.
Honestly….who the hell is surprised here??
June 12th, 2007 at 11:11 amDid anybody really believe that they were not going to ask for more Freidman Units come September? Except for a few delusional trolls, I can’t imagine that anyone reading this site thought Petraus or Gates or anyone else would not drag it out. I just pray that the Dems develop a spine over the summer and finally refuse funding.
June 12th, 2007 at 12:10 pm