[...] Nods to Curt at FloppingAces. [...]

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[...] Nods to Curt at FloppingAces. [...]

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[...] to admit you were wrong Obama? Share and [...]

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[...] now we come to Obama: TERRY MORAN: If you had to do it over again, knowing what you know now, would you support the [...]

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http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/pjm-political-72308-the-spike-remains-the-same/

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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)…

For example, in “The Price of the Surge,” the lead article from the May/June 2008 issue of Foreign Affairs, Steven Simon noted:

In January 2007, President George W. Bush announced a new approach to the war in Iraq. At the time, sectarian and insurgent violence appeared to be spiraling out of control, and Democrats in Washington – newly in control of both houses of Congress – were demanding that the administration start winding down the war. Bush knew he needed to change course, but he refused to, as he put it, “give up the goal of winning.” So rather than acquiesce to calls for withdrawal, he decided to ramp up U.S. efforts. With …..a “surge” in troops, …..a new emphasis on counterinsurgency strategy, ……and new commanders overseeing that strategy, Bush declared, the deteriorating situation could be turned around.

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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.

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IT FIGURES, DOUG WOULD LIKE FAR LEFTIST NUTROOT YGLESIAS

http://americanpowerblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/radical-foreign-policy-of-matthew.html

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Matt Yglesias makes an interesting point, as well as opening up a new can of worms:

Robert Wright and Jim Pinkerton raise an important issue — it’s very clear from the record that John McCain strongly supported the dispatch of additional troops to Iraq, but it’s not at all clear that he supported the suite of counterinsurgency tactics that he now wants us to believe is what the term “the surge” refers to. Indeed, the basic shape of the Anbar Awakening — talk to your enemies, make concessions to bad guys to get them out of the terrorism business, etc. — doesn’t sound at all like the kind of thing McCain supports philosophically.
…

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.

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“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.”

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