Thursday, February 7, 2008

McCain on Iraq


DSchlutz
Period 3

Presidential hopeful, John McCain is a Republican veteran of Vietnam who has made a strong emphasis on his views of the Iraq War. He wants to “bolster troops on the ground…implement [a] new counterinsurgency agency…strengthen Iraqi armed forces and police…create the security necessary for political progress and stability…” and “call for international pressure on Syria and Iran.” (McCain’s Website) McCain appreciates the work the Bush has completed, “…if the Bush administration’s plan had not produced visible signs of progress by the time…” another President assumes office, then the next President would be forced into withdrawing from Iraq. (New York Times) McCain recognizes “...that the success of the Bush administration’s strategy, which seeks to protect Baghdad residents so Iraqi political leaders have an opportunity to pursue a program of political reconciliation, was essentially a precondition for a more limited American role that could follow.” (New York Times) He has now come up with a different plan, or rather a continuation of Bush’s. John McCain agrees with retired Army General Jack Keane that there are simply not enough American forces in Iraq.” (McCain’s Website) He believes that in order for the United States to develop a long term victory over the insurgents we must not only take over the insurgents holds, but “stay and hold these areas to deny them as a base for insurgent forces and allow economic and political development to occur in a secure environment.” (McCain’s Website) He recognizes that the United States Army cannot stay in Iraq indefinitely, “…Iraq's future lies in the hands of its people, government, and armed forces, and strengthening them is an essential requirement for bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq.” (McCain’s Website)


McCain thinks that the way out of Iraq is a long, difficult road, but also thinks that it is one that will ultimately, pay off. McCain thinks that Iraq cannot be given a new government solely through force, and that we should implement non-violent techniques in order to succeed in our endeavor; as his website clearly states, “…there must be a greater emphasis on non-military components promoting economic development and representative, accountable governance.” In order to develop this new government in Iraq, we need the support of Iraqi citizens. “Iraqis need to see tangible improvements in their daily lives or support for the new government will falter.” (McCain’s Website) John McCain has given great support to the concept of strengthening the numbers of US soldiers in Iraq; when questioned about the possibly of implementing Iraqi soldiers that have been trained by US soldiers he stated that, I’d be very reluctant to send your men into a country where there is chaos and tell them they’re going to be trainers.” (New York Times) However this statement is contradicted in his website where he argues the importance of the development of a US trained Iraqi force. “He also suggested that setting deadlines for withdrawing troops…” (New York Times) John McCain argues that if we set a date for US troops to leave Iraq, the insurgents will be able to hold off until that date, and all of our progress would be lost.


McCain, though now seeming quite unwavering in his fanatical speeches of the importance of staying in Iraq and strengthening our hold, has had many believes of the Iraq war that have proven to be utterly false. It is true that everyone’s view of the War from its beginning has proven to be wrong from one degree to another, but “McCain has been consistently wrong since before the invasion even began.” (Carpetbagger Report) In an interview with MSNBC in 2003, McCain stated that, “We will win this conflict. We will win it easily.” (Carpetbagger Report) This statement that he made expressed an outward confidence that can be seen in some other politicians at that time, but as was discovered, we greatly underestimated the strength and resilience of the insurgency.


McCain also bought into the hype when Saddam Hussein was originally captured. On an interview with ABC in 2004 he stated, “This is a mission accomplished. They know how much influence Saddam Hussein had on the Iraqi people, how much more difficult it made to get their cooperation.” (Carpetbagger Report) However, reality did not play up to this statement. The war continued in a sloppy race to annihilate the insurgency. McCain, as many people have done, has made some errors in his analysis of the situation in Iraq. Although he has done so, he stayed true to his ideal that they way through the series of problems that have evolved from the ruin of the Twin Towers will be found in a coercive plan of assaulting insurgent strong holds and keeping our enemies away from political office, reconstructive efforts involving fair popular elections established in Iraq, and the development of an Iraqi army.

Works Cited:

New York Times:
Gordon, Micheal. "McCain Sees 'No Plan B' for Iraq War." The New York Times. 15 April 07. 5 Feb 2008 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/us/politics/15mccain.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

McCains Website:
"One The Issues: Strategy for Victory in Iraq." John McCain 2008. John McCain. 5 Feb 2008 http://www.johnmccain.com/informing/issues/fdeb03a7-30b0-4ece-8e34-4c7ea83f11d8.htm

Carpetbagger Report:
"McCain has been more wrong than most." The Carpetbagger Report. 17 January 08. 5 Feb 2008 http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/14272.html

McCain Photo:
CJAD. 05 Feb. 2008 . http://www.cjad.com/files/standardradio/feeds/2_1_1964462_w010786A.jpg

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