Breaking News: McCain sees Iraq combat over, U.S. troops home before 2013
In a speech he’s about to give shortly at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Ohio, Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, will for the first time talk about a specific date for when he envisions direct American military involvement to be over in Iraq.
It’s January, 2013. By then, he says, American combat involvement will be over and most U.S. troops back home.
A staunch defender of the war in Iraq and an ardent advocate for last year’s military surge, even before the Bush administration decided on it, McCain’s surprising remarks this morning are an early indicator of a significant shift in the former fighter pilot and POW’s stance on the controversial and unpopular war.
And it’s a theme he’s likely to hit hard, and perhaps even modify further, as the general election campaign unfolds, contrasting it with the Democrat’s sharper withdrawal.
Maybe you remember during their most heated debate exchange of the Republican primary season, McCain going right after former Gov. Mitt Romney for even hinting at a vague timetable for U.S. troop withdrawals because the Arizona senator alleged it would be taken by the enemy as a sign of surrender and a date they need only await.
How times change, now that McCain has the GOP nomination sewed up and confronts an unpopular war, an unpopular president of his own unpopular party, a string of Democratic successes in....
...special House elections, perceptions of a struggling economy and early Democratic attacks from both Sen. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton that a McCain Administration would only be a Bush III.
According to excerpts obtained by The Times’ Maeve Reston, McCain uses an imaginative speech construction today not to announce any dramatic change in his proposed policies regarding Iraq and what he once described as a possible 100 year deployment of U.S. troops. Instead, he describes “what I would hope to have achieved at the end of my first term as President.”
Here’s the optimistic scenario he will describe:
“By January 2013, America has welcomed home most of the servicemen and women who have sacrificed terribly so that America might be secure in her freedom. The Iraq War has been won. Iraq is a functioning democracy, although still suffering from the lingering effects of decades of tyranny and centuries of sectarian tension. Violence still occurs, but it is spasmodic and much reduced.
“Civil war has been prevented; militias disbanded; the Iraqi Security Force is professional and competent; al Qaeda in Iraq has been defeated; and the Government of Iraq is capable of imposing its authority in every province of Iraq and defending the integrity of its borders.
“The United States maintains a military presence there, but a much smaller one, and it does not play a direct combat role.
“The threat from a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan has been greatly reduced but not eliminated. U.S. and NATO forces remain there to help finish the job, and continue operations against the remnants of al Qaeda.
LA Times
If we elect this fool and his gang, then we truely deserve the King that we get.
Like Trent Lott said when HRC was first running, “Maybe we will get lucky and lighting will strike.”
Course that was before he lost his job as the Senate whip and then resigned.
I am all ready retired so I can say what I like and not worry about being fired.
Folks, vote for anyone but this fool. Thank you for your attention.
Read what McCain said very carefully. He only claims the obvious. Of course by 2013 most (if not all) of the servicemen and women who fought in Iraq (past tense - FOUGHT) in Iraq these past few years will be home! How many tours of duty can a soldier be expected to serve? By 2013, we will have an Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force comprised of completely different people than are fighting today.
I thought it was pretty clever of McCain, actually.
A staunch defender of the war in Iraq and an ardent advocate for last year’s military surge, even before the Bush administration decided on it, McCain’s surprising remarks this morning are an early indicator of a significant shift in the former fighter pilot and POW’s stance on the controversial and unpopular war.
Just the beginning of a vacuous, misleading hit piece.
<snip>
John McCain: “By January 2013, America has welcomed home most of the servicemen and women who have sacrificed terribly so that America might be secure in her freedom. The Iraq War has been won. Iraq is a functioning democracy, although still suffering from the lingering effects of decades of tyranny and centuries of sectarian tension. Violence still occurs, but it is spasmodic and much reduced.”
Gee ...
Ten years after invading and toppling Saddam Hussein and for Iraq hostilities to end resulting in a peaceful, friendly government to finally have its shít together?
Sounds like the founding of The United States of America.
<snip>
o.j. - “Folks, vote for anyone but this fool.”
Step away from the corn likker, jimbo! Read a history book.
If Iran keeps their fingers out of the pie with the growth of Iraq forces to full strength for the army and police by then the country SHOULD be fairly well under control.
Now a lot will depend on the terms of the SOF agreement in the works for continued support.
But one big area that clearly even by 2013 still will be just getting put together is the Iraq Air Force.
Right now it is almost nothing and it takes time to order and receive new aircraft to support their own defense from regional threats. (read Iran most likely).
To grow an Air Force from scratch since for year Saddam had an air force in name only sitting on the ground due to no fly zones and it’s going to take a while.
Right now they are looking at maybe picking up some turboprop COIN type aircraft in the next year, but jets the infrastructure for them and trained pilots which are more than bodies in a fast piece of metal are a long term prospect.
I would guess under even peaceful conditions it would be closer to 2018 before even a reasonable self defense air force could exist in Iraq for fighter jets.
Right now they have only a handful of choppers and transports just to get their system kick started and learn medivac and logistic supply and even more of those will take time to order and have built.
And if the nutcase McCain wins, god forbid, in 2013 the war cry will be STAY THE COURSE.
Lets see, that would be 10 years of war for that sand pile, and how many dead young americans by then? 8,000? Cost? 10 trillion? HELLO BANKRUPT USA, NEW THIRD WORLD CRAP HOLE, THANKS TO THE RINOS.
Folks, McCain is not a republician, he is like bush, a RINO?
IF McCain makes it to the oval office, we can roll out the welcome mat to 20 million more mexicians, and a debt ceiling of 20 TRILLION DOLLARS!~!
Why shucks, even a Yale Graduate ought to be able to figure that out..
Hopefully he will crash and burn before he even gets to the beltway.
Read what McCain said very carefully. He only claims the obvious. Of course by 2013 most (if not all) of the servicemen and women who fought in Iraq (past tense - FOUGHT) in Iraq these past few years will be home! How many tours of duty can a soldier be expected to serve? By 2013, we will have an Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force comprised of completely different people than are fighting today.
I thought it was pretty clever of McCain, actually.
I don’t think McCain is that smart.
However several groups of American Soliders have/are serving 3 tours in Iraq, our armed forces are stretched as thin as a trojan, and the idiots are threating to attack Iran?
When or why did the leaders of the USA Decide to become war mongers and to try and kick everyones butts that do not agree with them?
NOW, if and this will never happen, If the USA were willing to go into the middle east, take it over, take over the oil fields, and nationalize the oil fields for the benfit of the people of the usa, and our friends, I would be all for that. However to keep our Military in the mid east at a cost of billions per year, or even trillions to keep the mid east safe for the oil co’s is total bull feathers.
And before you say I am nuts, TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT CAMP BONDSTEEL AND WHO IS RUNNING SAME, PAID FOR BY THE AMERICIAN TAX DOLLAR?
See Hannahs Blog, google search. If you want to, or follow the old rule of lasting ignorance, Contempt prior to investigation.
If Iran keeps their fingers out of the pie with the growth of Iraq forces to full strength for the army and police by then the country SHOULD be fairly well under control.
Now a lot will depend on the terms of the SOF agreement in the works for continued support.
But one big area that clearly even by 2013 still will be just getting put together is the Iraq Air Force.
Right now it is almost nothing and it takes time to order and receive new aircraft to support their own defense from regional threats. (read Iran most likely).
To grow an Air Force from scratch since for year Saddam had an air force in name only sitting on the ground due to no fly zones and it’s going to take a while.
Right now they are looking at maybe picking up some turboprop COIN type aircraft in the next year, but jets the infrastructure for them and trained pilots which are more than bodies in a fast piece of metal are a long term prospect.
I would guess under even peaceful conditions it would be closer to 2018 before even a reasonable self defense air force could exist in Iraq for fighter jets.
Right now they have only a handful of choppers and transports just to get their system kick started and learn medivac and logistic supply and even more of those will take time to order and have built.
You simply don’t do this over night.
HOW THE HECK DID THE ABOVE BECOME THE JOB OF THE UNITED STATES TAXPAYER? WHAT THE HECK, ARE WE BECOMING WORLD RULER? OR WHAT?
There are MANY good people in Iran, watching and listening intently to what McCain, Clinton, and the boy messiah are saying about Iraq. These folks HATE that rat faced bastard front man for those sick, perverted fundamental clerics.
They have seen how U.S. politicians talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk. With McCain’s commitment towards self government, self defense, and long term support, they just might be encouraged to do to the current Iranian terrorist regime, what Carter and Khomeni did to the Shah.
Remember, until Carter’s “communication with preconception” cowardice encouraged the radical Islamic revolution, Iran was the closest to the U.S., and the MOST western of SWA countries. Many people miss the peace and prosperity of those days. Hell, look up what General Schwarzkopf’s father did for Iran during WWII.
(For the libtards: The Shah’s secret police was only a threat to the very terrorists we are killing today.)
nano and sarara, we know it takes a long time to establish a superior “air force”. There is no guarantee they’ll ever be ready - at least not as far as American standards are concerned. Just look at the German fighter pilots over the years at Luke AFB in Arizona and their subsequent history of warfare for NATO.
HOW THE HECK DID THE ABOVE BECOME THE JOB OF THE UNITED STATES TAXPAYER? WHAT THE HECK, ARE WE BECOMING WORLD RULER? OR WHAT?
Hey dummy Iraq is paying for the equipment out of their oil profits.
We will train and help set up their units and likely sell them most of the jets they will be using.
We are NOT going to be build the Iraq AF on our dime.
Even someone so deranged as you are about this should have been able to figure that out from the information readily available out there.
I taught Iranis air traffice control at Kessler Air Force Base at Bloxi, Miss. in 1957, all so Saudia Arabians, there might even have been some Iraqis in the mix, they were in the USA at that time to learn how to fly and obey air traffic control instuctions.
And why don’t you give us a link on how Iraq is paying for the costs of the USA in Iraq, using petro dollars, who is buying their oil and so forth?
HOW THE HECK DID THE ABOVE BECOME THE JOB OF THE UNITED STATES TAXPAYER? WHAT THE HECK, ARE WE BECOMING WORLD RULER? OR WHAT?
Hey dummy Iraq is paying for the equipment out of their oil profits.
We will train and help set up their units and likely sell them most of the jets they will be using.
We are NOT going to be build the Iraq AF on our dime.
Even someone so deranged as you are about this should have been able to figure that out from the information readily available out there.
You mean like this?
US senator wants Iraq oil funds used for rebuilding
Tue Mar 4, 2008 5:48pm EST Email | Print | Share| Reprints | Single Page| Recommend (0) [-] Text [+]
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WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) - The chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee said on Tuesday he may try to require Iraq to spend more of its oil revenue on reconstruction instead of investing the money in foreign banks.
Before the U.S. invasion of Iraq in early 2003, top Bush administration officials suggested some war costs could be financed through Iraqi oil revenues. That never occurred and U.S. taxpayers have instead seen about a half-trillion dollars of their money spent on the war so far.]What kind of an absurdity is it that we are paying for the reconstruction of Iraq with American taxpayers dollars if Iraqi oil sales, to a significant degree, are going into foreign banks and not being used for their own reconstruction,” said Sen. Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat.
“
In the meantime, there are estimates that Iraq has up to $30 billion in assets invested in U.S. financial institutions.
Levin said he would ask Congress’ investigative arm, the General Accountability Office, or others in the U.S. government to look into Iraq’s use of oil revenues.
He said he would decide after such an investigation whether to use this year’s appropriations process to force Baghdad to change its financial practices.
Levin said Congress could condition future war funds on Iraq using its own revenues for reconstruction, reducing the burden on U.S. taxpayers.
According to government estimates, Congress has given the Bush administration $16 billion for reconstruction and relief efforts in Iraq.
“They (Iraq) are selling about $50 billion a year in oil. What are they doing with all the money?”, Levin asked.
In December, President George W. Bush announced his intention to veto a defense bill after Baghdad complained about a provision that could freeze Iraqi assets in the United States if Americans sued for actions taken by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
At the time, Iraq also discussed the possibility of pulling its assets, estimated at $20 billion to $30 billion, out of U.S. banks if that defense measure became law.
Levin said that legislative dust-up prompted his look into Iraq’s use of oil revenues.
During an Armed Services oversight hearing on Tuesday on U.S. military forces in Iraq, Levin asked William Fallon, the the top U.S. commander for the Middle East, about Iraq paying reconstruction costs.
Fallon said there were some concerns over Iraq’s ability to effectively distribute oil revenues.
Levin responded, “I can’t accept the answer that they’re not capable of administering their own revenues.” (Editing by Todd Eastham)
HOW THE HECK DID THE ABOVE BECOME THE JOB OF THE UNITED STATES TAXPAYER? WHAT THE HECK, ARE WE BECOMING WORLD RULER? OR WHAT?
oldjim is quite clearly in his dotage. It’s downhill from here pops.
The anti victory liberal argument concerning war costs revolves around priorities. They want the war to end because they need the money to fund entitlement programs that buy them votes.
so instead of our government providing for the common defense, the left needs money so that single teenaged moms can live rent free in section 8 housing with her brood of illegitimate children while consuming food purchase with food stamps (farm subsidies anybody?) and send her children off in the general direction of a failing school that uses more than 10K per pupil per year to turn out another generation of single moms living rent free in section 8 housing…
Let me put it to you simply old guy: The world as it is today, not as wide eyed liberals imagine it requires American to chose guns, not butter more often than the left would like.
Here’s Michael Novak from today’s NRO
The partisans of the welfare state demand peace, in order to pay for its insatiable need to keep handing out more and more benefits. That is why left-wing statists take peace as their natural inheritance. They cannot go on without it. They do not intend to pay any price for it; there are no funds left for that
Sadly, oldjim there is no cure for what ails you. Enjoy your dotage. I plan to enjoy mine.
Why Nano, as usual your full of crap, words and smoke blowing.
We are NOT going to be build the Iraq AF on our dime.
Even someone so deranged as you are about this should have been able to figure that out from the information readily available out there.
Before the U.S. invasion of Iraq in early 2003, top Bush administration officials suggested some war costs could be financed through Iraqi oil revenues. That never occurred and U.S. taxpayers have instead seen about a half-trillion dollars of their money spent on the war so far.]What kind of an absurdity is it that we are paying for the reconstruction of Iraq with American taxpayers dollars if Iraqi oil sales, to a significant degree, are going into foreign banks and not being used for their own reconstruction,” said Sen. Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat.
“
In the meantime, there are estimates that Iraq has up to $30 billion in assets invested in U.S. financial institutions.
Levin said he would ask Congress’ investigative arm, the General Accountability Office, or others in the U.S. government to look into Iraq’s use of oil revenues.
He said he would decide after such an investigation whether to use this year’s appropriations process to force Baghdad to change its financial practices.
Levin said Congress could condition future war funds on Iraq using its own revenues for reconstruction, reducing the burden on U.S. taxpayers. RANG
LIKE THIS, OH GREAT DERANGED ONE?
Your so full of crap your eyes are brown.
HOW THE HECK DID THE ABOVE BECOME THE JOB OF THE UNITED STATES TAXPAYER? WHAT THE HECK, ARE WE BECOMING WORLD RULER? OR WHAT?
Hey dummy Iraq is paying for the equipment out of their oil profits.
We will train and help set up their units and likely sell them most of the jets they will be using.
We are NOT going to be build the Iraq AF on our dime.
Even someone so deranged as you are about this should have been able to figure that out from the information readily available out there.
I taught Iranis air traffice control at Kessler Air Force Base at Bloxi, Miss. in 1957, all so Saudia Arabians, there might even have been some Iraqis in the mix, they were in the USA at that time to learn how to fly and obey air traffic control instuctions.
And why don’t you give us a link on how Iraq is paying for the costs of the USA in Iraq, using petro dollars, who is buying their oil and so forth?
As the governement has gotten more established there they have started paying for and buying their own equipment for their forces to be armed with.
They are contracting for chopper and transport aircraft. They are buying on their dime artillery equipment and armored vehicles.
We have done just about all the provision of equipment under the supplemental bills that we will be doing.
Local reconstruction projects are now being budgeted and funded out of Baghdad.
You really need to take a reading comprehension course from your nearest adult education facility.
