Kerry: McCain’s ‘100 Years’ Remarks Show A ‘Fundamental Misunderstanding Of Iraq Itself’
Kerry: McCain’s ‘100 Years’ Remarks Show A ‘Fundamental Misunderstanding Of Iraq Itself’
In November 2007, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said a Korea-like presence is not an “analogy” he would use for Iraq, recognizing that the “nature of the society in Iraq” would force a withdrawal — making the South Korea model implausible.
Now, McCain is saying critics of a long-term U.S. presence are “dishonest” and engaging in “nonsense talk.” Today on Fox News Sunday, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) noted McCain’s flip flop on the Korea model, saying it shows McCain is displaying a “fundamental misunderstanding” of Iraqi society.
In fact, on the hundred years war issue, John McCain is being disingenuous. Because what he said in that interview [Charlie Rose] was ‘as long as there is no violence,’ which indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of Iraq itself.
Kerry added that the intelligence shows this kind of occupation would be a 100-year cause celebre for extremists:
Our own National Intelligence people tell us it is the American presence that is attracting jihadists and creating violence. So if he’s talking about being there for 40 years, 100 years, he’s talking about attracting more and more terrorists and not paying attention to the larger challenge.
Watch it:
Despite abandoning the South Korea model in November, McCain now uses it as his most frequent defense for a “10,000 year” or “million” year presence in Iraq. Kerry observed that South Korea and Japan, both stable democracies, cannot be compared to Iraq’s civil war:
Let’s be clear about this hundred years, again. The model in Japan and in Korea is a model where they have adopted a full democracy and where they have none of the insurgents, al Qaeda, jihadists, religious extremism that you have in Iraq.
Kerry concluded, “So you have a different John McCain today when he talks about hundred years or million years.”
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44 Responses to “Kerry: McCain’s ‘100 Years’ Remarks Show A ‘Fundamental Misunderstanding Of Iraq Itself’”
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Snork…..Kerry’s Swiftburka-ing McCain.
April 6th, 2008 at 1:27 pmAt the current rate of desecration and consumption, I give the human race about 100 more years occupying the planet as a whole.
April 6th, 2008 at 1:31 pmBadmoodman good snark…..and I love it.
I think anyone who is paying attention and thinking knows that mccain is not intelligent enough for the job he has applied for….he is patently underqualified in every area.
most republicans will vote for an unqualified person anyway….they have in the past.
April 6th, 2008 at 1:33 pmYou libs just don’t get it do you! Well, actually I think you REALLY do get it BUT you couldn’t be honest because that would not be in your anti America interest, right!
So what the hell is wrong with “attracting more and more terrorists” to one region libs??? I can’t believe you wacked out left nutters can’t figure this out. It’s simple! We get them all to head to one place and blow them off the face of the earth so we don’t hve to fight them elsewhere!
Get some balls!!
April 6th, 2008 at 1:34 pmJohn McCain will say anything to anyone at any time. He does not care what the relative truth content of his statements are, at all.
His only “principle” is that he himself is awesome without question or reservation. The press seems to think unbridled conceit is some kind of virtue.
When will the press NUT UP and subject this sad, old brown-noser to the same level of scrutiny they feel compelled to apply to Clinton and Obama???
April 6th, 2008 at 1:36 pmWhat kind of medication McCain on ?
April 6th, 2008 at 1:37 pmIn fact, on the hundred years war issue, John McCain is being disingenuous. Because what he said in that interview [Charlie Rose] was ‘as long as there is no violence,’ which indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of Iraq itself.
It also betrays the lie that McCain has condemned the previous strategy while endorsing the current Petreaus plan. As Kerry (and the NIE) clearly stated, keeping Americans there would make matters worse. What McCain is really saying is that the “flypaper strategy” is still in force.
April 6th, 2008 at 1:43 pmDoesn’t John Kerry understand that our “fundamental misunderstanding” of Iraq is the very key to our ultimate glorious victory in Iraq!? If people want to go around trying to understand the real nature of things, we will never achieve the ultimate glorious victory we have so fervently imagined!!
I have to go feed my unicorn now. Everyone please keep believing that I have a unicorn, lest it disappear, forcing me to brand you all surrender-monkeys (a type of monkey that really does exist, just ask matt drudge)
April 6th, 2008 at 1:45 pmGreat.. well spoken. Now, Senator Kerry, can you please just disappear? Frankly, I can’t look at you anymore without a feeling of disgust. You had millions of dollars in lawyers, and every reason in the world to question the Ohio vote, yet you decided by 11 a.m. the following morning to just roll over and give Bush another illegal 4 years. You turned on your running mate, this election, and in my opinion, behind Kucinich and Dodd, he was the most progressive. Man, I just don’t want to look at or hear you anymore. You’re just another complicit Democrat.
April 6th, 2008 at 1:51 pmnycbassist Says:
April 6th, 2008 at 1:56 pmYou’re kinda blaming the victom here aren’t you…..
nycbassist Says:
do you despise everyone that the republicans try to marginalize? You obviously believe every bad thing you have ever heard about John Kerry. I personally find him to be one of the most intelligent and morally upright representatives that the left has. That is why he was “selected” for attack….you are only assisting the right…..
April 6th, 2008 at 2:03 pmnycbassist
April 6th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I understand the sentiment, but this is the kind of attitude that will get us 8 more years of Republican rule.
Isn’t Hillary Clinton doing enough to harm the Dem party on her own?
April 6th, 2008 at 2:06 pmWhat Kerry said is entirely correct and highlights, again, how incompetant McCain is to be commander in chief of the conflict in Iraq.
But let’s keep it simple. John McCain said he didn’t care if our troops were in Iraq for 100 years, even 10,000 or a million years. The American people care very much. He is the wrong person to be the American president.
April 6th, 2008 at 2:12 pmOH I get it! This is why McCain wants to be in Iraq for 100 years and why he has Greenspan supporting him now….it means 100 more years of war profiteering, thieving, market manipulations and more financial fun by the America-Haters!
April 6th, 2008 at 2:35 pmagain, sent to me via email from moveon.org:
10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don’t):
1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has “evolved,” yet he’s continued to oppose key civil rights laws.
2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain “will make Cheney look like Gandhi.”2
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.
4. McCain opposes a woman’s right to choose. He said, “I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned.”
5. The Children’s Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children’s health care bill last year, then defended Bush’s veto of the bill.
6. He’s one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a “second job” and skip their vacations.
7. Many of McCain’s fellow Republican senators say he’s too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: “The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He’s erratic. He’s hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me.”
8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.
9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his “spiritual guide,” Rod Parsley, believes America’s founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a “false religion.” McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church “the Antichrist” and a “false cult.”
10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.
April 6th, 2008 at 2:38 pmWhen countries invade, occupy and set up puppet regimes in other countries, it’s called colonialism or imperialism. This ancient form of aggession had begun ending in 1776 and was mostly over by the 1950s. But the USofA tried to keep colonialism alive when it attacked Vietnam in the 1960s. McCain was bombing, maining, wounding and murdering Vietnamese men, women and children in the 1960s. These actions were war crimes.
April 6th, 2008 at 2:44 pmIf a day on Earth is like a thousand days with the Lord then 365 X 1000 = 365,000 X 100 years should equal 36,500,000 days of serving the Lord for McCrazy in Iraq….unless we consider dog years which could make sense because the days would feel much like dog days. Well, we are either with them or against them, I guess.
April 6th, 2008 at 2:45 pmMy take is that McCain will win if Obama is the Dem nominee, and lose to Hillary. The key states are Fla., Pa., and Ohio.
April 6th, 2008 at 2:49 pmMccain can’t win….his future is in viagra advertising…..
April 6th, 2008 at 3:00 pmKerry ran such an ineffectual campaign he’d best take on the role of the strong, silent type.
April 6th, 2008 at 3:08 pmnycbassist Says:
April 6th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
You had millions of dollars in lawyers, and every reason in the world to question the Ohio vote, yet you decided by 11 a.m. the following morning to just roll over and give Bush another illegal 4 years.
Thank you from a fellow Ohioian. Standing Ovation!!! I was upset he did nothing to fix what happen here. That was very painful for me because I voted for him.
I still like him though. I do believe that everyone makes mistakes. In this case an error in judgement. I agree with Fred, I do find him intellegent and a moral man that has strong convictions. He is truly trying to help.
I think he did awesome on the Fox News Show, pointing out to them all the Flipflops McCain keeps making . When you lie as much as McCain it’s hard at his age to keep them all straight. He just alittle confused..NOT!
April 6th, 2008 at 3:08 pmOne might think John Kerry is running for President again or is he? He can’t in to suck up to the non experienced Freshman Senator Obama and has move come out of hiding so he can finally get to be President. Yes Obama will be used just as Bush is now being used. John Kerry will become the acting President. I wondered why no one had heard for John Kerry since he last to Bush. Now he knows Obama gave enough snake oil to Americans for them to believe his lies. As we see Obama gives the Dr. King speeches and people vote as Kerry is acting Presidential. McCain was finished when he started. Now as usual Americans will look back when the US depression starts and say the same thing their saying about Al Gore. We didn’t put the right candidate in our third mistake. Hillary is the only qualified candidate but Americans are in to the Rock Star and the Senior Dems Law Makers know a sucker when they see one and will use him until Obama is impeached. Powell and Rice are using Obama to as they know the old black trick of using race for their advantage too.
April 6th, 2008 at 3:25 pmLet’s not forget something which the MSM prefers to overlook and that is that McSame finished near the bottom of his class at the Naval Academy. Only that his old man was an admiral as was his grandfather, did he have a career in the navy. Today, we would recognize his appointment to the Academy as a heritage appointment. So to expect him to be intellectually astute is to expect something he is incapable of. If he is elected, it will be an ongoing contest between him and Bush as to has been the dumbest president in recent memory, and if that doesn’t scare the crap out of people nothing will.
April 6th, 2008 at 3:32 pmMcCain is a believer in man-made global warming due to fossil fuel consumption and CO2 emission. Simultaneously, he is a believer in permanent occupation of Iraq. Yet, the #1 consumer of fossil fuels is the military. I wish someone would ask him how those two positions of his jibe.
April 6th, 2008 at 3:34 pmTo Zooey, Fred and Freedom Rebel..
First let it be known, that I was a resident of Ohio in the 2004 election, and not only did I vote, I volunteered heavily. I put every moment of my free time, (with two jobs, mind you) that I could. The events that unfolded there are the same that you’d expect from any third world country. Nazi-type figures standing with their arms folded behind the counters to contest votes of anyone they thought looked suspicious to them. Massive amounts of votes being thrown out because of the weight of the paper,.. and it goes on and on. Kerry had, to my recollection 87 million dollars in attorneys at his disposal..and he did NOTHING!
Yes, he is entirely correct in his criticism of McCain. If he had run an effective campaign:
> Been nearly outspoken as he is now.
>Shown half of the outrage his supporters did about his “Swift-boating”.
>Contested with directed fury, the outrages in Ohio.
>If he just showed any kind of backbone at all over the last 4.5 years, (campaign year included.) then we’re not here, having this discussion.
Fred and Zooey, it’s entirely appropriate to be critical of any of these “Democrat” enablers. Pelosi, for taking impeachment off the table. Kerry for allowing our votes to be flushed down the toilet, with nary a whimper. Believe me, what will insure the progressive agenda is backbone, and the fortitude to stand behind your convictions. I have had enough of “playing well with others’.
April 6th, 2008 at 3:44 pmJackie
We have two democratic candidates that are both far superior to any republican. I resent comparisons by supporters of both hillary and obama comparing the opposing democrat to any republican……
when you do this it makes it look like you want a republican to win. The only way mccain wins is if we divide our party. Lets stick to attacking the real enemy please.
April 6th, 2008 at 3:44 pmThen they have won. How is it that you think John Kerry could have fought this battle across 50 states by himself. I would think you as a resident of Ohio would hold yourself at least partially responsible.
Americans at large let John Kerry get sh!t on, in state after state. We abandoned him, not the other way around.
I guess you blame Al Gore for losing to the same illegal tactics in 2000.
April 6th, 2008 at 3:50 pmWhat warmongers like McCain will never do is to try and imagine what it would be like if a foreign country kept soldiers in the United States for 100 years. This simply demonstrates a total lack of empathy on McCain’s part on how the Iraqis view the American occupation of their country.
April 6th, 2008 at 4:30 pmMr. McClueless McSame!
April 6th, 2008 at 4:41 pmMcSame sold his soul to the devil when he became a Republi-scum.
April 6th, 2008 at 4:42 pmWhen the Democrats call for a withdrawal time line they are chastised for aiding and abetting the enemy by giving away or strategy (whatever that is….).
When McCain says we’ll be there 100 years - what’s the difference?
April 6th, 2008 at 5:24 pmIf nobody’s mentioned it yet, one principle difference between John Kerry and John McCain would be that Kerry never actually lost his command, even though Kerry’s boat was lots slower and LOTS closer to the ‘enemy.’
April 6th, 2008 at 6:33 pmjus’sayin
First off Chris Wallace stated that he had a “true fair and balanced panel” so what does that say about Fox
Secondly…Kerry was out of control…I am surprise they didnt cut his mic…Kerry shredded McCain and Chris Wallce he was not expecting that…
April 6th, 2008 at 6:44 pmLet’s be clear about this hundred years, again. The model in Japan and in Korea is a model where they have adopted a full democracy and where they have none of the insurgents, al Qaeda, jihadists, religious extremism that you have in Iraq.
Yes–and the goal is to have Iraq adopt a full democracy and to wipe out the insurgents that are currently eroding the efforts of the Iraqi and US troops.
Kerry–the man whose sheer ineptitude cost the Democrats the white house–shouldn’t be one to talk about “misunderstandings”
April 6th, 2008 at 6:55 pmYes–and the goal is to have Iraq adopt a full democracy and to wipe out the insurgents that are currently eroding the efforts of the Iraqi and US troops.
Except the “insurgents” are increasingly Iraqi factions, jockeying for position, and ratcheting up violence against US forces.
McCain is just acknowledging that the failed “flypaper strategy” is still in force, and still getting US soldiers killed.
April 6th, 2008 at 7:15 pmNice try. Your guys and thier illegal election fixing cost Kerry and Gore the whitehouse. Your crooks stole it and have so far gotten away with it…….
We should be so lucky to have someone as competent as John Kerry instead of the bungler and fool we have now.
April 6th, 2008 at 7:25 pmKerry?!? Wasn’t he the Senator who stood idly by while the cops tasered a student for asking him too many questions? Or were they the wrong kind of questions? Well, whatevs!! His behavior in his campaign and ever since shows he’s the one with a “fundamental misunderstanding” of US democracy. Wadda phony he is! He voted for the goddam war and now he criticizes McCain for his support of it?! I’m with nycbassist on this: keep this fraud off our airwaves. And the sooner that fake hypocrite Hillary follows him out the door the better. We “progressives” have them to blame for our current mess because of their spinelessness. They did nothing to stop ShrubCo’s onslaught. The Democrats have been worse than useless, they’ve been Quislings throughout the rule of George II and betrayed progressives every chance they got. A pox upon them all!
April 6th, 2008 at 8:31 pmFred,
April 6th, 2008 at 8:44 pmYou have no idea how much I’ve done to try and get the election looked at. I wrote Senators, I signed petitions. Before the Ohio Election was STOLEN, I volunteered for this man, his campaign and for moveon as well. You really have no business questioning my dedication. Believe me.. I’m not FOR the other side. I just want the spineless, pathetic “Democrats” out of our way, so we can get true progressives in office. I believe the appropriate quotation is, “All that’s necessary for evil to prevail, is for good men to do nothing.” In my opinion, Kerry, Pelosi, Schumer, .. there’s a huge list are those “good (wo)men”.
nycbassist
I may be out of line judging you…..probably not my place. I do fear losses to republicans because of the divisions we have in the democratic party. We just can’t have more republicans anywhere if we can avoid it…..we can never change our politicians until we get the republicans out of power.
I still contend that the naderites cost us the 2000 election….maybe it shouldn’t have been that close but it was and his involvement at what I consider the wrong time has cost us dearly.
April 6th, 2008 at 9:12 pmWho in the hell in their right mind would consider a former (half-assed) Navy pilot the foremost expert in a ground war ?
Only the horseshit GOP and their imbecilic followers could be this ignorant and insane………….
April 6th, 2008 at 9:23 pm“Yes–and the goal is to have Iraq adopt a full democracy and to wipe out the insurgents that are currently eroding the efforts of the Iraqi and US troops.”
And that goal can never be met while the USA is led by traitors and incomnpetent deserters like Bush and Cheney, who fire the competent commanders and search out the fellators and toadies like Betrayus. Iraq is lost, afghanistan is lost, the war on terror is lost. 3 wars, all lost the day they started, because of a Republican government run by traitors.
April 6th, 2008 at 11:59 pmYeah let’s stay there until there isn’t a minority of the population who hates us.
At one time, that was at least possible. Not a sure thing, but possible. There were plans from a few generals… our forces would respect their rights and culture, maybe even have most in the service with rudimentary Arabic. It would be a long process, a decade was in order and more, but not with heavy combat. It would be comprehensive and innovative work to minimize extremism.
That of course was a fantasy. Abu Ghraib was a disgrace, and of course to augment that we have Blackwater and KBR. Our forces police the Iraqis, but in screaming English. They raid homes, and it’s good if they find terrorists but what about the hundreds of false alarms. Over a million are displaced and the infrastructure is not strengthened, it’s in shambles. There are FEWER women driving, that sure sounds secure and free. Cost-plus.
You’d think Republicans would be for self-determination and personal responsibility at this point, with five years and a year of (politically) fruitless surge. But we have to keep intervening, even with disgusting private armies and other methods that taint the good work.
I didn’t know we’ve had troops in NORTH Korea since the 1950s, which would be much closer to the hostile forces in Iraq. Did we defeat South Korea?
April 7th, 2008 at 3:05 amIf he was that clear four years ago we wouldn’t be in this mess. Somebody wake up grandpa McCain, his Metamucil is ready.
April 7th, 2008 at 9:39 amJohn McCain’s call for a 100 year war/occupation of Iraq shows a basic lack of understanding of the conflict in Iraq. He compares it to Japan or Korea, where there was no local insurgency to counter. It is clearly much closer to Vietnam in scope, and just like Vietnam, the longer we stay, the more stuck we get.
April 16th, 2008 at 12:41 pm