It's a false argument.
COOPER: Also, for accuracy's sake, I just want to point out Senator McCain was talking about 100-year involvement in the same way as the U.S. being involved in South Korea, not at the current situation that it is now.
Janet Hook, you have another question on foreign policy for Governor Huckabee.
HOOK: I have another one for you, Governor Huckabee.
MCCAIN: You're not going to let me address the quote that you attributed to me?
COOPER: All right, fine, if you could briefly.
MCCAIN: Thank you. It's a false argument. It's a false argument. We are going to be there for some period of time, but it's American casualties, not American presence.
We've got troops right next door in Kuwait. We'll probably have them there for a long time. We have troops in Bosnia. We've had troops in South Korea for some 50 years. By the way, President Eisenhower didn't bail us out of Korea.
But the point is that we need to protect America's national security interest. It's not a matter of presence. It's a matter of casualties.
We are succeeding. We are succeeding. And I unequivocally put my career and my political fortunes on the line and unequivocally said we're going to support this surge. We're not going to talk about timetables or anything else; we're going to talk about winning and what's necessary to win.
And I'm the only one that said that Rumsfeld had to go and the Petraeus strategy is the one that can succeed. That's because I have the experience, the knowledge, and the judgment.
And I believe that Americans will come home with honor. And the fact is -- and the fact is that it's not American presence, because America, as the world's superpower, is going to have to be a lot of places in the world. It's how they come home.
And as president, I will follow in this tradition of sticking to my principles no matter what and bring our troops home with honor.
2 comments
#1 Matthew Burton May 18, 2008
You have to give McCain credit for telling it like it is, and for, in his words, "unequivocally putting his career and political fortunes on the line." He is doing exactly that. He is telling us the sad truth: We are going to be in Iraq for a while. It is rare that a politician tells the whole country exactly what they don't want to hear. But we must be told.
Others want you to believe that leaving is easy. It isn't. It is very important that everyone understand that, especially those who, like me, are against the war.
If there is one part of this video to keep in your memory, it is this:
"We've got troops right next door in Kuwait. We'll probably have them there for a long time. We have troops in Bosnia. We've had troops in South Korea for some 50 years."
At first, our presence in those countries wasn't the least bit peaceful. But now it is. McCain has been vilified for saying we could be in Iraq for 100 years. Just because we are in Iraq, it doesn't mean the current conditions will persist that whole time.
However, he SHOULD have ideas for changing those current conditions. Just because he says "Things will get better," doesn't mean they will.
#2 bisceglie May 21, 2008
Clinton made a mess out of the balkans. South Korea was a totally different situation. Yes, getting out (and/or transitioning to a more passive role) is difficult... but there's very little precedent here...