New VoteVets ad: McCain would occupy Iraq indefinitely, against Iraqi wishes

[jimmy the notable on July 23, 2008 at 5:25 PM]

What walks like a stealth Dem organization pushing defeat, floats like a stealth Dem organization pushing defeat and quacks like stealth Dem organization pushing defeat?

Unfortunately, the VoteVets ad here ignores the advice of a General they wanted people to listen to back in 2006 and 2007:

Batiste appeared on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer in April 2006. When asked about his proposed strategy for Iraq, he said, “Well, to begin with, I think we must complete the mission in Iraq. We have no option; we need to be successful and protect our strategic interests in the region; we need to set the Iraqi people up for self-reliance with their form of representative government that takes into account tribal, religious and ethnic complexity that has always defined Iraq. The Brits had a hell of a time with that in the ’10s and ’20s of the last century; nothing new at all. And we got to set them up for self-reliance so they can go on it on their own. I think we’re going to be successful. There’s nothing this country can’t do, if we put our mind to it, but we need to do it right. We need to mobilize this country and employ a comprehensive regional and global strategy.”

In testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives in June 2007, Batiste said, “Secondary interests are that our withdrawal cannot create a humanitarian disaster or an Iraq dominated by another state(s) in the region. This may require a residual force of up to 30,000 US troops for decades to protect the US mission, train and advise the Iraqi security forces, provide a counter balance to unintended consequences of Iran and a greater “Kurdistan”, and take direct action against residual Al Qaeda in Iraq. We cannot walk away from our strategic interests.”

In late 2007, he asserted that the military alone would not be successful in Iraq. On December 8, 2007, Batiste co-wrote an editorial in the Washington Post stating, “Third, the counterinsurgency campaign led by Gen. David Petraeus is the correct approach in Iraq. It is showing promise of success and, if continued, will provide the Iraqi government the opportunities it desperately needs to stabilize its country. Ultimately, however, these military gains must be cemented with regional and global diplomacy, political reconciliation, and economic recover — tools yet sufficiently utilized. Today’s tactical gains in Iraq — while a necessary pre-condition for political reconciliation — will crumble without a deliberate and comprehensive strategy”. He argues that at the moment, such a strategy does not exist.

(emphasis mine)

Dusty on July 23, 2008 at 5:51 PM