McCain Myth Buster: John McCain and 100 Years in Iraq
April 29, 2008
John McCain has said his comments on Iraq have been distorted and his cronies at the RNC have complained about the use of his statements in a new DNC television ad. In fact, that has not been the case--McCain's own words prove the point. At a town hall meeting earlier this year, when asked if he agreed with Bush Administration comments that our troops could be in Iraq for 50 years, McCain responded "Maybe 100" and "that would be fine with me." [McCain Town Hall, Derry NH Opera House 1/3/2008]
But McCain is now saying that's not really what he meant. He has focused his argument on comments he made about our troop presence in Iraq being like our presence in South Korea, even though a Charlie Rose interview just six weeks before the infamous "100 years" comments shows that when asked if he agreed with the South Korea model for Iraq McCain said "I don't think so." [The Charlie Rose Show, 11/27/07; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95HVxPuCTes]
McCain can try to back away from his comments, but the fact is he's on the wrong side of this issue, and he will pay for it in November when voters go to the polls.
2008: McCain Said US May Stay In Iraq For 100 Years, Long Term American Presence In Iraq Analogous To South Korea. At a New Hampshire town hall when McCain was asked "President Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq for 50 years." McCain responded: "Maybe 100" and "that would be fine with me." McCain explained his 100 year remark by drawing an analogy to the long-term American presence in South Korea: "We've been in Japan for 60 years. We've been in South Korea for 50 years or so. That'd be fine with me as long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed." [McCain Town Hall, Derry NH Opera House, 1/3/2008; New York Times, "The Caucus," 1/11/2008]
McCain in 2007: Rejected Korean Analogy to Iraq. Asked by Charlie Rose if he thought the South Korean model would serve as an "analogy of where Iraq might be…in terms of an American presence over the next, say, 20, 25 years," McCain replied, "I don't think so." "Even if there are no casualties?" Rose questioned. "No," McCain reiterated. "I can see an American presence for a while. But eventually I think because of the nature of the society in Iraq and the religious aspects of it that America eventually withdraws." [The Charlie Rose Show, 11/27/07; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95HVxPuCTes]
After casting himself as a "Maverick" in 2000, the new John McCain is walking in lockstep with President Bush, pandering to the right wing of the Republican Party, and embracing the ideology he once denounced. On the campaign trail McCain has callously abandoned many of his previously held positions, even contradicted himself, in a blatant attempt to remake himself into a candidate Republicans can accept in 2008. So just who is the real John McCain? The Democratic National Committee will present a daily fact aimed at exposing the man behind the myth.
