TERRY MORAN: If you had to do it over again, knowing what you know now, would you support the surge?
OBAMA: No, because, keep in mind that-
MORAN: You wouldn’t?
OBAMA: Well, no, keep in mind, these kinds of hypotheticals are very difficult. You know, hindsight is 20/20. But I think that, what I am absolutely convinced of is that at that time, we had to change the political debate because the view of the Bush administration at that time was one that I just disagreed with.
So….let me get this straight: George Bush was right in supporting the troop surge and the strategy built around it, and knowing in hindsight what he knows now (that it worked!), Senator Obama still wouldn’t support it because he disagrees with “the view of the Bush administration at that time”….which was Bush’s push for the surge?
“There is evidently no end to the stupidity running rampid amongst the news types.”
Alas, it will almost certainly get worse before it improves. The next few years (hopefully not even that long) promise to be, uh, shall we say, “interresting.”
Matt Yglesias makes an interesting point, as well as opening up a new can of worms:
http://matthewyglesias.theatlantic.com/
I know certainly there is a legitimate distinction to make between the surge and the Anbar COIN, yet myself, I can’t say where McCain has been on COIN in Anbar. I do know he was upset and skeptical with the ‘”old” Way Forward’ under Rumsfeld.
I’m almost positive this will now be the next background check on McCain’s statements about Anbar. –Stay tuned.
IT FIGURES, DOUG WOULD LIKE FAR LEFTIST NUTROOT YGLESIAS
http://americanpowerblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/radical-foreign-policy-of-matthew.html
JSM was on record for quite some time, advocating for a change of tactic, and more troops. The Surge promised all that with not only increased troops levels, but the clear and hold strategy, plus embedding in Iraq neighborhoods along side the Iraq troops. Other than that, we were all left with few specifics until the sheiks came to the forefront with their obvious turn on AQ.
Perhaps it’s not at all clear whether JSM held a negative opinion – as Yglesium likes to not-sot-subtly infer – because Petraeus wasn’t discussing Surge strategy with McCain, but the CIC, Bush. If that’s the case, you’lll have a hard time digging up McCain comments saying the Surge shouldn’t include tactics like the Anbar Awakening and cooperation with sheiks. He’s a savvy military man, and knows to consult ground commanders for their recommendations. Why would you think, as a candidate for the nomination, that he’d try to lay out specifics for Surge tactics without having the benefit of having personal briefings from commanders? Absurd.
McCain went to Iraq in 2007 with 60 minutes in tow where he met with many of the sheiks that were involved with the awakening movement. Doesn’t appear he had any problem whatsoever with that tactic. I think JSM listens to commanders, then looks for results. This had results.
If this is the best you and bud Matt can do to try and discredit JSM’s obvious superior judgment to BHO, you are in serious doo doo, guy. But start the whisperings and rumblings about evidence of nothing on a non-issue anyways. The already JSM haters will lap it up and keep the rumors going for you.
The “surge” … is often shorthand for both the addition of U.S. troops as well as the adoption of a counterinsurgency strategy. — John McCain
Maybe Dougy would like to stumble on over there to read that, since it has a really dumb, and couldn’t be more wrong, quote by his darling, Yglesias.
And, MataHarley, here’s one for you (same source)…
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/pjm-political-72308-the-spike-remains-the-same/
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