Want further proof that John McCain is living in an alternate universe when it comes to Iraq? Check out this exchange on Iraq in tonight’s debate:
Did you catch McCain’s key quip? “I know of no military leader, including General Petraeus, who says we can’t sustain our effort in Iraq.” Oh really?
Well, maybe Senator McCain was taking a nap last month, but Army Chief of Staff, General Casey disagrees. The Christian Science Monitor’s Gordon Lubold reported the following last Christmas Eve:
“We’re deploying at unsustainable rates,” General Casey said three weeks ago during remarks to an audience at the Brookings Institution in Washington. The Army agreed to a buildup of troops a year ago with the understanding that it was temporary, he said. “We can’t sustain that. We have to come off of that, and we’re working that very hard.”
In fact, Casey is not alone. Lubold also wrote:
While there is reasonable consensus that a significant
drawdown must occur to relieve the Army – from Gates to Adm. Mike
Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to the service chiefs
and many combatant commanders – Petraeus may not see things the same
way. An expert in counterinsurgency, Petraeus believes such campaigns
can last a decade or more if done right. While he is mindful of the
strains on the force, he is considered to be more focused on
maintaining the security momentum there, analysts say.
So what did media stars Tim Russert and Brian Williams
do? Nothing. They did a fair impression of a bobble head doll. Each
happily nodding along as McCain spun his fantasy. Not one person
tonight dared challenge John McCain on this point–something that was
demonstrably false–even in the post-debate wrap up. Although McCain was
a brave Navy pilot, it is equally clear he is now an addled old man who
lacks the mental acuity to be a competent President. But with our
“crack” TV media stars on patrol, they’ll just humor him and let him
skate until he actually gets the job and can do some real damage. And
at that point the joke will be on us. Thank God (irony intended) for
the Christian Science Monitor. Too bad more folks don’t read it.
Perhaps McCain might like a subscription.