For Republicans, there is one form of suicide worse than losing the 2008 presidential election–and that is winning it with a candidate who will put the pro-welfare-state, pro-regulation left in the driver’s seat of American politics. Yet that is precisely what Republican primary voters are unwittingly supporting when they vote for McCain.
- Robert Tracinski

In 2001, McCain, a situational ethicist regarding “big money” in politics, founded the Reform Institute to lobby for his agenda of campaign restrictions. It accepted large contributions, some of six figures, from corporations with business before the Commerce Committee (e.g., Echosphere, DISH Network, Cablevision Systems Corp., a charity funded by the head of Univision). The Reform Institute’s leadership included Potter and two others who are senior advisers in McCain’s campaign, Rick Davis and Carla Eudy. Although his campaign is run by lobbyists; and although his dealings with lobbyists have generated what he, when judging the behavior of others, calls corrupt appearances; and although he has profited from his manipulation of the taxpayer-funding system that is celebrated by reformers — still, he probably is innocent of insincerity. Such is his towering moral vanity, he seems sincerely to consider it theoretically impossible for him to commit the offenses of appearances that he incessantly ascribes to others. Such certitude is, however, not merely an unattractive trait. It is disturbing righteousness in someone grasping for presidential powers.

Senator John McCain: That is a very good question and yes when I become el President I will put up a physical fence. What will it look like? Well it will run the full length of the border and have special security gates every 100 feet.

All the security gates will have on them:

1) Press one for Spanish (with a response of “Welcome Amigo, my country is your country and please take a free map to the wonderful plantation owner employer of your choice. Also please feel free to take advantage of all our many social services like medical care and schools and be sure to demand a Spanish interpreter if you want one.”).

2) Press two for English (with a response of “Go to
Infierno you damned bigoted nativist lazy madre fornicario gringo who does not want what is right for America del Norte!!!”).

While you’re at it, maybe you can take the time to clue the rest of us some of your positive feelings about the presumptive Republican nominee. I’ve been frequenting HotAir for months, and I’m pretty sure you’ve never had a kind or even understanding word for Senator McCain or any of his policies, or any of his supporters, while on the other hand you’ve led, applauded, or encouraged numerous sessions of McCain-bashing. You’ve periodically reminded us that you won’t vote for him, that you’re “quits” with him, that you feel we have terrible choices this year, and so on, but, if you’ve ever had a single moment of doubt, a single second thought, I’ve never seen the evidence.

Bonus points if you refrain from equating his position on immigration with “treason” or otherwise imputing only the darkest and most corrupt motives to his political decisions. Demerits if you resort to boldface in order to express your agitation over one or another trivial aspect of his campaign or campaign materials.

Or don’t bother – that’s fine, too. I’ll return to my normal policy of ignoring your posts except when I happen to be in the mood to point out some egregiously ill-informed observation.

come across as an implacable McCain hater, and if any non-McCain-hating regulars were frequenting this thread and taking an interest, I’m fairly confident they’d back me on that observation.

CK MacLeod on March 1, 2008 at 2:31 AM

Only a an hysterical nincompoop would think that I am a hater.

You sound worse than the far left with your accusing people who see thinks differently than you of being haters and “implacable” haters at that.

I’m not defending Clinton, he didn’t do the military any favors while he was in office. It’s just not accurate that the downsizing was Clinton’s idea to begin with.

If a Dem is elected, and he/she withdraws from Iraq, moves forces to Aghanistan as if it were a good idea…then

…why would the phone ring in the middle of the night?

ANSWER:
1) cause withdrawing from Iraq too fast doesn’t=safety or peace
2) cause more troops in Afghanistan is as historically successful a strategy for that place as sending more battleships
3) cause (to quote John McCain) there will be more wars

Hillary’s ad is an expression and admission that Democrats know the reality. They just don’t like the taste.

I already told you what I strongly believe to be the status of the McCain web page you refer to. I frankly think that it’s pretty durn obvious to anyone who has been following the Iraq issue, and who can pick up on other obvious clues – like the April 07 speech that also appears on the page, or, even more tellingly, the reference to Gen Jack Keane, who was one of the architects of the surge strategy, along with Fred Kagan. The recommendations referred to in the page are the ones that Keane and Kagan made, and that Bush adopted, during the crucial ‘06-’07 transition to the surge.

And, on the other subject, no, I’m not “hysterical” about this. In fact, I only barely care at all. And, yes, you – or maybe some other feller who uses your registration and like to refer to McCain as Juan Plantation whatever – come across as an implacable McCain hater, and if any non-McCain-hating regulars were frequenting this thread and taking an interest, I’m fairly confident they’d back me on that observation.

Sooner rather than later, they’ll want us to leave.

Not necessarily. If a capitalistic democracy is established in Iraq, they’ll soon discover that there is a ton of money to be made if American soldiers stay in your area. In 2003, Germany was talking seriously about our leaving, basically on the back of the disagreement over going to Iraq. 1AD and 1ID deployed out of Germany, the first time in 60 years that all combat elements left Germany…and the subsequent cash cow went with them. Our leaving was so bad for business in so many communities that Germany is hoping that the BRAC list stays frozen over here, as even the effects of our draw down are being felt in many cities.

To put it simply, American GIs are good for business. And what Iraqi will feel bad about making a dollar off an American? It’s win-win…kind of.

“Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will make it clear that we will not build any permanent bases in Iraq. He will keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and diplomats; if al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq, he will keep troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda.”

From Juan McCain’s campaign website (Which he presumable has at least reasonably up to date unless he has become senile):

“A greater military commitment now is necessary if we are to achieve long-term success in Iraq. John McCain agrees with retired Army General Jack Keane that there are simply not enough American forces in Iraq. More troops are necessary to clear and hold insurgent strongholds; to provide security for rebuilding local institutions and economies; to halt sectarian violence in Baghdad and disarm Sunni and Shia militias; to dismantle al Qaeda; to train the Iraqi Army; and to embed American personnel in Iraqi police units. Accomplishing each of these goals will require more troops and is a crucial prerequisite for needed economic and political development in the country. America’s ultimate strategy is to give Iraqis the capabilities to govern and secure their own country.”

Apparently not.

CK MacLeod on March 1, 2008 at 12:40 AM

Implacable hatred?

Splenetically?

Angriest?

You have become even more muy histerica now.

What is your suggested solution then?

Should we pull out now? Wait a pre-determined amount of time and then leave? Wait for their government to ask us to go?

I can only hope that we can stay (in a non-combative way) in Iraq. I’m not a big McCain fan, but he is right on this issue.

-OldPhart on February 29, 2008 at 11:04 PM

I don’t know that there’s a perfect solution, but I’m leaning towards Obama’s plan, which would slowly draw down our presence over the course of 16 months. This would result in the last of our forces leaving Iraq sometime in mid-2010 (with the exception of those needed around our embassy and for diplomatic operations). This would allow 2+ years more for the Iraqis to stabilize the political scene.

I do see a need to keep troops in the area; a couple Nimitz class aircraft carriers in the Persian gulf can serve as platforms for targeted strikes on al Qaeda and other threats. There are other options, but I think that permanent military bases in Iraq are a mistake.

This latest exchange adds to what I’d guess would easily be hundreds of splenetically anti-McCain posts that you’ve put at HotAir over the last several months. I honestly thought you were competing for angriest anti-McCain commenter in the world award.

Anyway, take a tip from someone who apparently has been around political communications longer than you have: Even the best, most well-funded, position paper-oriented campaigns get lazy about updating their campaign materials, especially when they’re still transitioning from one phase of the campaign to another, in this case from primaries to general, and aren’t 100% sure of who their opponent is going to be. If I knew who to e-mail or call up, I’d def advise them, on the basis of criticism from the highly noted political observer MB4, that it’s about time they re-worked on their Iraq issues page, even if only provisionally.

So I guess you can feel free to grow even firmer in your implacable hatred of all things McCain, since it’s clear his team hasn’t updated all of his position papers [After a whole year? That would take slow to a whole new level and you want him to be el Presidente? And how do you even know how long it has been there anyway?].

but don’t worry, I don’t expect it to affect your judgment, if judgment is the right word.

CK MacLeod on February 29, 2008 at 11:46 PM

You are becoming increasingly hysterical.

Korea, Western Europe, Guantanamo, West Berlin. NO wars were fought there because US troops were there.

Hello, knock, knock.

It is on Juan’s web site right now, at least as of just 2 days ago when I last checked.

Are you implying that Juan doesn’t even know what fracken year it is?

MB4 on February 29, 2008 at 10:15 PM

No. I’m stating that the content of the web page hasn’t been updated in about a year – since probably before the time that April 07 speech that’s posted on the same page was given. So I guess you can feel free to grow even firmer in your implacable hatred of all things McCain, since it’s clear his team hasn’t updated all of his position papers.

I’ll betcha even the Change You Can Believe In’s 800-zillion dollar web site has got some obsolete or to-be-provided pages and other glitches, but don’t worry, I don’t expect it to affect your judgment, if judgment is the right word.

So Obama is saying that NATO would stand up and do something if Russia sent troops to Kosovo? DOes he actually believe that, or is he just saying what he wants fools on the far left to hear?

Well, it’s fine with him, but is it fine with the Iraqis?

McCain really said a mouthful here. Perhaps the reason why groups like al Qaeda and the rest of the insurgency has had success “motivating” people is because people like McCain have stated that they have no problem with our presence in the region for 100 years? Is the perception that we are there to set up permanent bases and take over one of the reasons why we’ve encountered so much resistance? You see, this works both ways.

If McCain wants to go on the assumption that Iraq would eventually be like S. Korea or Germany in the sense that we’d have a nice friendly base there indefinitely, perhaps he is the one who is naive with regard to foreign policy. It’s a different part of the world. Sooner rather than later, they’ll want us to leave. In all likelihood, it will continue to be a war as long as we’re there. Hence, the grief McCain gets over the 100 years comment.

What is your suggested solution then?

Should we pull out now? Wait a pre-determined amount of time and then leave? Wait for their government to ask us to go?

I can only hope that we can stay (in a non-combative way) in Iraq. I’m not a big McCain fan, but he is right on this issue.