ThinkProgress Challenges McCain On His 2003 Statement That We May ‘Muddle Through In Afghanistan’
ThinkProgress Challenges McCain On His 2003 Statement That We May ‘Muddle Through In Afghanistan’
Yesterday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) delivered a speech on Afghanistan at the neoconservative think tank American Enterprise Institute. TP Wonk Room’s Matt Duss attended the event and asked McCain this question:
In November 2003, in discussing Afghanistan, you said that given everything else that was going on, we’d probably just “muddle through” in Afghanistan. Now given the rather ambitious set of goals that you’ve set out for us today, it seems that you’ve come to a conclusion that muddling through is not an acceptable outcome. Could you just briefly describe the kind of process in your thinking by which you arrived at this conclusion?
McCain disputed the premise of the question, claiming: “Well, obviously you are taking that statement out of context.” Watch it:
Duss responds on The Wonk Room with the video of McCain’s original statement in 2003:
MCCAIN: I am concerned about it, but I’m not as concerned as I am about Iraq today — obviously, or I’d be talking about Afghanistan — but I believe that if Karzai can make the progress that he is making, that in the long term we may muddle through in Afghanistan.
Watch it:
McCain’s new position is that the Afghanistan war is necessary. “I know Americans are weary of war,” he said yesterday. “I’m weary of it. But we must win the war in Afghanistan.”
The larger issue, of course, is that McCain — like the Bush administration — was so feverishly eager to go to war with Iraq after 9/11 that he largely neglected the issue of Afghanistan. Indeed, ABC News reported last year that, as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, McCain missed every single hearing on Afghanistan over the past two years.
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McCain is out of context.
February 26th, 2009 at 10:57 amSo how do we “win” in Afghanistan?
February 26th, 2009 at 10:59 am“So how do we “win” in Afghanistan?”
We don’t. The Soviet Union finally understood this. The Roman Empire eventually got it. Alexander the Great packed up and went home. Afghanistan has been a battlefield for competing empires for millennia, with the tribal inhabitants perpetually caught in the crossfire, making their uneasy alliances with whichever army happens to be camped on their doorstep.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:06 amSorry to be off-topic but when I try to view Yglesias’ page the banner link takes me to GoDaddy.com. Did the domain license expire? Is Yglesias being pwnd?
February 26th, 2009 at 11:07 amMcCain’s new position is that the Afghanistan war is necessary. “I know Americans are weary of war,” he said yesterday. “I’m weary of it. But we must win the war in Afghanistan.”
Um, substitute the name Iraq for Afghanistan, and it’s a rerun of what McBush has been saying for years.
PEACE
February 26th, 2009 at 11:08 amLike most Americans, in the aftermath of the attacks of 9/11, I was hurt (emotionally), I was angry, and I wanted revenge. I supported our military invasion of Afghanistan. But I was also wrong.
Over time I came to the conclusion that the best way to solve the problem of international terrorism was not by sending in large numbers of troops, but by capturing terrorists through good old fashioned police detective work, and trying the bad guys through the courts.
That does not mean that resolving this problem will not involve the military at all, but it need not involve tens of thousands of troops. We could do a better job by sending in small groups of covert forces, dedicated to going after the terrorist leaders. And we shouldn’t abdicate that responsibility to others who can’t be trusted to have our national interests at heart.
I’m willing to give this increase in forces in Afghanistan a chance to work, but no more than a year. If, after a year, the situation is largely the same, then pull the troops out of there and try something else, because it obviously would not be working.
Not every problem can be solved by throwing more troops at it. This is one of them.
You may disagree with me, but this is what I believe.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:08 am(McCain staffer, handing John a sheaf of paper…)
“Here’s your con text, sir.”
February 26th, 2009 at 11:12 amerjeroco Says:
So how do we “win” in Afghanistan?
Same way we “won” in Iraq. By shifting the goalposts each time we figured the prior objectives were clearly out of reach.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:22 amConservatives, when challenged on a statement that is patently false or idiotic, invariably retreat into the “out of context” mode without ever providing an explanation of what they meant.
Every nonsense they utter is either “taken out of context” by critics, or was made with “tongue firmly in cheek”. What a crock.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:28 amNevar at 4:
Sorry, my McFriend, no Romans ever set foot in Afghanistan. Don’t think they’d have done any better than anyone else, but in fairness to the Grand Daddy of Empires, they were never there.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:41 amFunny thing about “conservatives” and “context”.
They’re all about “context” (and frequently improperly) when, as Gregor points out, they’ve said something stupid. They’re very willing to provide reams and reams of context at that point, even though the context provided often supports the initial judgment. I guess they’re hoping that if they provide enough material as “context”, people won’t bother to read it and will just figure, “oh, there’s more words; he must have meant what the right wing says he meant.”
Yet they are most eager to ignore context when they’re eager to use a quote to smear someone. Rev. Jeremiah Wright comes to mind.
Funny about that. It’s almost like they have a double standard.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:48 amKeltoi Says:
Nevar at 4:
Sorry, my McFriend, no Romans ever set foot in Afghanistan. Don’t think they’d have done any better than anyone else, but in fairness to the Grand Daddy of Empires, they were never there.
I think he’s confusing Afghans with Sassanid Persians. Although to be fair, the Sassanid Empire did include what we know of today as Afghanistan.
February 26th, 2009 at 11:51 amRead the book “The 36 Hour Day”
It explains much about how things in his world are
“out of context”
http://www.alzheimersbooks.com/001.%2036HourDay.html
February 26th, 2009 at 12:08 pma war is when at least TWO armies are fighting.
these are not wars.
they are occupations and illegal at that.
our military has no business being in either country.
there are better ways to kill terrorists/training camps and you don’t need 50,000 people to do it.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:13 pmgummitch Says:
——————————————————————————–
Keltoi Says:
Nevar at 4:
Sorry, my McFriend, no Romans ever set foot in Afghanistan. Don’t think they’d have done any better than anyone else, but in fairness to the Grand Daddy of Empires, they were never there.
I think he’s confusing Afghans with Sassanid Persians. Although to be fair, the Sassanid Empire did include what we know of today as Afghanistan.
Yeah. And the Persians/Sassanids were smart enough to not ask much more of the Afghans than troop levies when they went to war. There isn’t much there to tax, after all! Incredibly fierce warriors has always been Afghanistan’s leading export…
February 26th, 2009 at 12:15 pmkeltoi and gummitch….
February 26th, 2009 at 12:16 pmThanks for the correction, I had my crusading empires tripping over each other.
Grampy McSame says – My friends back in the day we knew who our enemies were, yes sir, we would see them and we would know…you could tell by looking into the eyes, that’s where your soul is, in the eyes, so I would look real hard around and guess what? Everyone was my enemy, eeeevvvveeerrryyyyone, so I would think I could sneak up on them and maybe bomb them, that’s what I would do, bomb them with stinky air biscuits, that will show them, and then I didn’t like Afghanistan, it was so muddy, who likes mud, little whipper-snappers that’s who, so when you muddy a country you get dirty, we should bomb Iraq some more, they’re not muddy enough, maybe Cindy can dance for them, then they would muddy their pants…I should know…I just muddied mine.
You lost go away Gramps.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:18 pmkeltoi and gummitch….
oops, sorry about the typo…
February 26th, 2009 at 12:19 pmmkeltoi and gummitch…
OT:
February 26th, 2009 at 12:25 pmNevar,
How familiar are you with winter Pacific Loon?
The romans conquered them.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:30 pmGood afternoon, dbadass, welcome back.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:34 pmI’m not familiar, nor have ever seen a Pacific loon.
Peterson’s says they can form large flocks in winter, on the coasts. They are very drab in coloration, much the same as the commons in winter.
War Hawks, usually Republicans, continually us the pharse “win the war in _______” enter the most recent military adventure the US has taken on. This is a different time, this is guerilla war, not WW II. These wars are not “won” they are endured. The side with the ability to outlast the other will “win”, or the war will, in most cases, fade away out of fatigue. Who won Viet Nam?
February 26th, 2009 at 12:43 pmPres Obama seems to want more troops in Afghanistan to stop the Taliban from perservering there, fearing the spill over to Pakistan. The danger is that they will take over Pakistan. This puts a radical muslim state in charge of a nuclear arsenal. However we look at it, that is very dangerous to the US. That is why we should have “won” in Af. in 2002, stayed there to rebuild the country, taken out Al Qaeda in Pakistan, and stayed the heck out of Iraq. Too late now, but we still need to forestall a Taliban take over in Pakistan. I have no plan, but the goal is obvious.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:54 pmNevar
February 26th, 2009 at 1:01 pmWhereas we were on the east it is a real rarity but not unheard of. It was certainly different fro a regualr common or red throated which is what we are used to here as well as the occassional arctic. The weather was brutal and held us to 73 species. Still it was worth it for the best Merlin I have had in years as well as some other good stuff. Redhead is no longer common in this area and we had a couple other really good things. Still despite the tough conditions, well worth the trip. Five mammals was less than we expected.
.
Dear Senator McCain,
When you say “WIN” does this entail a “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED” sign and dress up party on the high seas like the Iraq “WIN” did?
.
February 26th, 2009 at 1:07 pmdbadass
February 26th, 2009 at 1:09 pmAlways good to get out. Winter is losing ground fast here, windy now, fire weather. Going back on full time duty next week, looks to be a busy season. Stay well.
P.S…They caught a jaguar in a live trap near Tuscon a week or so ago, put a radio collar on it. That would be the cat’s pajamas to meet one on a bivouac some night….
Buckie Boy @19, the only thing I miss about the campaign is your McCain rants. Nice to have that back.
February 26th, 2009 at 1:18 pmFor a man who can’t remember exactly what he had for breakfast yesterday expecting him to remember anything he has said or stood for in the past is asking a bit much. He is the guy who actually endured torture and came around to saying it was ok. If Reagan was teflon, this guy is Silly Putty.
February 26th, 2009 at 1:21 pmAverage American Patriot Says:
“Well, obviously you are taking that statement out of context.”
Zactly.
How so? You aren’t capable of even expressing yourself. Grow a brain and come back with some arguments that actually have some meat on their bones lad.
February 26th, 2009 at 1:41 pmThink we should send our Congress and Whitehouse to Afghanistan while bringing all of our troops home.
February 26th, 2009 at 1:51 pmThere was never a legit reason to invade in the first place. The AlQaeda and Taliban had nothing at all to do with the so called terrorist attacks of 9-11. The aircraft that were made to crash were put there to make it appear as a terrorist hijacking while the buildings were already wired for demolition. We need a real investigation by an independant proseuter, and those that came up with the official fantacy story be the very first to be put under a light. The disruction could not have been pulled off without certain US Governent help, including elements of NORAD, CIA, and FBI as well as whoever was incharge of building security prior to 9-11 that allowed the demolition to be wired.
So it is time to implement apportionment of salary. McCain should be docked a percentage of his salary for not being present to attend to his duties. The same goes for his time away from the Senate to run for president. Boy are we a bunch of schnooks who let our money be usurped so easily.
February 26th, 2009 at 1:56 pmMcCain’s new position is that the Afghanistan war is necessary. “I know Americans are weary of war,” he said yesterday.
Americans are weary of McCain.
February 26th, 2009 at 2:05 pmThat’s a perfectly respectful question. Handed properly it might as well be a slowball pitch. All he would have to do is talk about the importance of Afghanistan, frame it as developing as a national priority over the past five years, and he’d hit it out of the park.
The problem is, certain politicians (and McCain is among the worst) are so sensitive to the potential of a question to get spun as criticism that they challenge those questions without even thinking.
.
Nevar Says:
We don’t. The Soviet Union finally understood this. The Roman Empire eventually got it. Alexander the Great packed up and went home. Afghanistan has been a battlefield for competing empires for millennia, with the tribal inhabitants perpetually caught in the crossfire, making their uneasy alliances with whichever army happens to be camped on their doorstep.
There’s no causal reason why that should continue to be true. None of those past attempts at invading Afghanistan were focused on establishing it as a sovereign nation, but rather focused on Imperial colonization. We need to be very far from Imperialism here if we want it to work. Also, all of them focused exclusively on military methods.
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zenster666 Says:
Sorry to be off-topic but when I try to view Yglesias’ page the banner link takes me to GoDaddy.com. Did the domain license expire? Is Yglesias being pwnd?
Thinkprogress.org kept giving me a DNS error earlier today, so I think somebody was pwning the domain names around here for a while.
February 26th, 2009 at 2:25 pmElBruce Says: “There’s no causal reason why that should continue to be true. None of those past attempts at invading Afghanistan were focused on establishing it as a sovereign nation, but rather focused on Imperial colonization. We need to be very far from Imperialism here if we want it to work. Also, all of them focused exclusively on military methods.”
The causal reason today is for the sake of oil. There is no interest in colonization, such as with the British attempt, simply exploitation. Not necessarily for the resources of Afghanistan, but because of the need for an oil pipeline through it’s territories. The current attempt to form a sovereign nation is simply to create a friendly environment for exploitation.
February 26th, 2009 at 2:47 pmAverage American Parrot 3
Do you really thing stupid declarative statements like that impress anyone past the third grade? I mean besides you ignorant Limborg morons that is. HOW is it out of context? How was did the context change what was being said? You are a moronic troll without the capacity for independent thought. Since out of context is just the way RUSH defends his really ignorant and outrageous or racist idiocy he tosses out to morons like you then you think it is a catch all excuse. That it is some trump card. You just CLAIM it is out of context and dismiss it. That would certainly work if we were as stupid as you. We arent. It doesnt.
February 26th, 2009 at 2:48 pm