McCain’s error on Petraeus’s role.
Today during his appearance at the Associated Press’s annual meeting, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was asked if he was “open to diverting troops from Iraq to Afghanistan” in order to catch Osama bin Laden.” McCain replied, “I would not do that unless General Petraeus said that he felt that the situation called for that.” Watch it:
But as the Army Times points out, Petraeus has nothing to do with the decision to move troops to Afghanistan:
Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona may not have been paying the closest of attention last week during hearings on the Bush administration’s Iraq policy. […]
Petraeus, however, made clear last week that he has nothing to do with the decision. Testifying last week before four congressional committees, including the Senate Armed Services Committee on which McCain is the ranking Republican, Petraeus said the decision about whether troops could be shifted from Iraq to Afghanistan was not his responsibility because his portfolio is limited to the multi-national force in Iraq.
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Corporate media meme: McSame is strong on defense.
Too bad he doesn’t know what the feck he’s talking about.
April 14th, 2008 at 9:45 pmWait just a darned minute!!
Are you trying to imply that Grampa McSame is a dunderhead?!
How dare you! That’s giving a bad name to dunderheads everywhere.
April 14th, 2008 at 9:48 pmbut he will stop the evel muzelms from patteling thair kamuls akros the atlantick oshen bekaz they want to kil us.
vot mkain!
April 14th, 2008 at 9:57 pmfourgot to ad, the bibull say so.
April 14th, 2008 at 9:59 pmThis is the GOP’s and the imbecilic trolls’ “military expert” ?
April 14th, 2008 at 10:06 pmIs there something in the air at the AP annual meeting?
“AP Chairman Refers to “Obama bin Laden” — In Posing Question to Barack Obama”
April 14th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
dunno man, Betrayus’s “we’ll pay nice if you play nice” strategy will probably work well with the Taliban, just like it has thier Iraqi equivalents..
April 14th, 2008 at 10:07 pmMcCain is beginning to remind me of Lloyd Bridges’ character in Hot Shots! (Charlie Sheen.) He played the old admiral who was missing all kinds of body parts due to various accidents and wars. Is McCain deaf like him? “Didn;t catch that. Had my ears blown out in ‘Nam. Can’t hear a f$%king thing.” I believe he even ran a handkerchief in one ear and out the other.
That’s what I see when I look at Sen John McCain now.
April 14th, 2008 at 10:20 pmAnd what will be the reaction from the media about their Teflon John’s boo boo comment Petraeus’ role? *cricket* *cricket.*
April 14th, 2008 at 10:30 pmWho’s the Commander of CentCom? You know, the command responsible for that decision?
Lieutenant General Martin Dempsey, that’s who. The original General low profile.
He was formerly the Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq commander, the coalition command responsible for recruiting, training, and equipping the Iraqi Security Forces.
Wasn’t that the job Petraeus screwed up before they promoted him?>
April 14th, 2008 at 10:47 pmit wasn’t an error… he was passing the buck…
just like that shia “confusion”… all a ruse…
calculated for specific ends… or end…
April 14th, 2008 at 10:48 pm>And what will be the reaction from
>the media about their
>Teflon John’s
Hey, he was bravely shot down and crashed his plane in the most heroic manner possible…well, actually, second most herioc way..the redneck that flew his jetplane into the giant mothership in Indepedence Day wins the award for “most heroic way to crash a plane”
April 14th, 2008 at 10:49 pmWay the hell off topic, but too good to pass.
Bush is throwing a birthday dinner for Pope Benny, but Benito decided to not show up. He has no other plans, but isn’t attending. And Bush ain’t cancelling!
He’s going to throw the damn dinner, Popey or no Popey!
You just can’t make this shit up!
April 14th, 2008 at 10:50 pmOh, and did I forget to mention that McSenile can’t tie his shoes without Joe telling him left over right, or maybe right, under left or, Goddamnit, he’s so confuseding!
April 14th, 2008 at 10:52 pmI just have to laugh. Expert?! Blpppph. What a joke. McCain knows less about the military than *I* do. Oh man. When will the media take their blinders off and start questioning whether this man has the brainpower left to be command in chief? Just another senior moment I guess. Those come pretty often when you’re over seventy.
April 14th, 2008 at 10:58 pmNow that McCain sure shows leadership. In fact, he sounds like Bush lite. Bush finds himself a suck-up willing to hide behind his uniform and McCain says that’s my man. Stay the course for 100 years — that man McCain is such a leader. Too bad he is so easily confused by things like details.
April 14th, 2008 at 11:31 pm>You just can’t make this shit up!
Oh but people can and have made up plenty of excuses why the pope didnt show up…
April 14th, 2008 at 11:38 pmCJ, yeah, but he isn’t showing up, and notifies the chymp aforehand he isn’t showing up for the birthday dinner in his honor. You’d think the chymp would have the common decency to cancel the damned event.
April 14th, 2008 at 11:46 pmMcCain’s is a CYA-type of reply: He’s answering without actually saying what he would do; he’s simply hiding behind someone else’s hypothetical advice.
McCain really is like Bush in more ways than one.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:12 am>You’d think the chymp would have the common decency to >cancel the damned event.
only in a bizarro world where george bush or anyone around
April 15th, 2008 at 12:18 amhim would be willing to admit they screwed up or that things didnt go according to their plans..
As K.O. often says….this stuff just writes itself.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:37 amHe’s apparently setting himself up to be the next Reagan:
1. Saying lots of clueless things like the above.
2. Cultivating a friendly press that’ll let him get away with it. Anyone remember Reagan’s “teflon presidency” to which not even the Iran-Contra affair stuck?
3. Possibly preparing to follow in Reagan’s footsteps in other ways, too:
April 15th, 2008 at 1:08 amMcCain has made so many gaffes in the last few weeks his foreign policy cred looks like a steaming pile of dook. But the braindead media won’t call him out and would rather focus on irrelevant crap like Obama calling people “bitter” Oh NO, he said Bitter!! McCain knows jackshite about what he claims is his strong suit. Of course that doesn’t worry all the morons in conservo land, there used to somebody fakin’ it.
April 15th, 2008 at 1:45 amBomb Iran Now Says:
Why do you Progressives support Hamas?
April 15th, 2008 at 12:36 am
___________________
You’re really, really, really stupid, aren’t you?
One… We don’t support Hamas. For some bizarre reason I can’t fathom, it’s somehow very, very, very important for you to believe this. Is this how you distract yourself from your real problems? Are you worried about your sexual adequacy? Or even, your, ahem, “proclivities”?
Two… I take the man in the videotape about as seriously as I take you. Strangely enough, both of you would be very offended by that. The odds of Muslims conquering Rome, the two Americas, and Eastern Europe are about as good as, oh say, Think Progress Watch becoming a successful, big time website.
Give. It. A. Rest… *sshat.
April 15th, 2008 at 2:18 amHey, what kind of low-budget blog is this that can only afford one freeper troll? And a novice at that. I insist that Bomb Iran develop new and less boring talking points.
April 15th, 2008 at 2:47 am>Why do you Progressives support Hamas?
You make me laugh. Aren’t YOU guys the ones who support democracy and “freedumb” in the middle east? Well, moron, Hamas is your democratic dream in action. Hamas is the democratically elected representatives of the palestinians. Don’t you support the right of the IRaqi people to make similar democratic decisions?
April 15th, 2008 at 2:59 amI’ve been waiting for this. President Bush has been doing this for some time. That is why we observed Generals that didn’t agree with the Presidents policies get removed.
Does Admiral Fallon ring a bell?
Commander in Chief is the Presidents’s title that reflects the civilian control over all military commanders and their respective commands.
Now Sen John Sidney McCain shows how he will hide behind the silent oathed uniform?
April 15th, 2008 at 3:51 amChocolate Jesus Says: & RUCerious Says:
I agree he should cancel the event. But, as he has been quoted on saying if he made the guest list, the only thing that counts is if he is at the party.
It’s his larger than life ego in hyper-drive. If he is happy that is all that matters, to hell with what anyone else thinks. The American People will pick up his bar tab. YEAHA!
April 15th, 2008 at 3:59 amMcCain likes to portray himself as being a great warrior. He is a warrior that is unintelligent about war. The art of war is about laying plans and knowing the enemy. Hell he can’t even remember the enemy’s name.
He wants to make us safer here at home, like President Bush. How can we be safer here at home when you are going to tick off the enemy even more by occupying their country for 100 years? Doesn’t sound like a good game plan to me.
April 15th, 2008 at 6:01 amEver since Heidi Montag came out in full support of McCain, John’s been a little distracted and has been spending a lot of time at home trying to catch up on Season 1 of The Hills. The interviewer should have asked a question about Heidi’s relationship with Spencer.
Murray Trillionaire
April 15th, 2008 at 7:20 amblog.murraytrillionaire.com
And this is the guy Hillary thinks, along with herself, is ready for prime time as Commander in Chief. NOT!
April 15th, 2008 at 8:48 amjdc Says:
I never thought I voted for a racist President but probably will this time. Funny thing is the racist will be a black guy. Who Knew.
Hopefully after a couple years with a Marxist President, a San Fran liberal House and a Reid Senate, America will wake up. If not, I’ll try to appreciate the free lunches.
Welcome to the world of right wing talking points. You score a 5 on this one jdc. Obama is not a racist nor is he a Marxist. To call him either is an enormous stretch of the imagination. But, you righties are desperate and will try anything to hang on to your ill gotten gains.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:57 amSenator McCain is simply too old, too tired, too angry to take on the presidency. He, along with Senator Clinton, thinks that it is his/her turn to lead the nation. NOT!
IMO, both these senators have egos and mouths bigger than the Grand Canyon. Senator Obama’s mouth often lands him in a ditch as well.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:21 amMcCain is no hero. He joined the Navy because his daddy did and his granddaddy before him. McCain got caught by the enemy and they held him for 6 years. He’s still here, alive, unlike so many others who fought in that war. A hero is a man who throws himself on a grenade to save his fellow soldiers, a hero is a person who rescues someone from a burning building. As a matter of fact, I think that McCain’s imprisonment in Viet Nam twisted his brain. His blah, blah, blah in every stump speech about his military record is getting extremely tiresome.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:54 amMcCain was just about the botom of his class at Annapolis and hasn’t shown even the acumen of his ideal, Dubya!
April 15th, 2008 at 10:06 amI’m sorry, the White House is not a suitable site for an assisted living center, even if Sen. McCain is comforted by the lack of those tricky, confusing corners in the Oval Office.
The man is OLD. Lord, the way he confused Al Qaeda and Shiites and Sunnis and Iran was embarrassing. Joe Lieberman had to break it down for him AGAIN right after the main cameras stopped rolling. He may be charming and funny but he simply won’t last four years as President, never mind eight if re-elected. After 7+ years of a Special Needs President, I really don’t need an older, angrier, loopier version of Dubya.
April 15th, 2008 at 1:37 pm