Posted by
Joe on Wednesday, June 11, 2008 7:16:53 PM
Democrats want to earn credibility and trust with the voters on foreign policy issues,
but misrepresenting statements made by John McCain won't accomplish their goal:
The Obama campaign and Democratic leaders accused Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)
of being confused and heartless after he told NBC’s “Today” show
Wednesday that it’s “not too important” when U.S. troops return from Iraq.
What the Democrat are trying to do here is combine their
typical "Republicans aren't compassionate" meme with a "John McCain is
old and mentally unfit for the presidency" line of attack. And what
point was McCain really making with his statement about it being
unimportant when troops return from Iraq?
“As John McCain has always said, that is not as important as conditions
on the ground and the recommendations of commanders in the field. Any
reasonable person who reads the full transcript would see this and
reject the Obama campaign’s attempt to manipulate, twist and distort
the truth.”
Senator McCain has always believed that the American
presence in Iraq is not the most troublesome issue with the American
electorate. What concerns voters is the number of American troops
harmed or killed. As long as that number is either in decline, or
even reduced to zero during any significant period of measurement,
American voters won't object to our continued involvement in Iraq. And
regarding our involvement, the decision to withdraw shouldn't be made
as part of a domestic political determination, but should instead be
based upon the experience and measured judgments of our military
leadership.
Quite apart from being "heartless" and "confused," Senator McCain's
position is responsible, mature and intelligent. As they did with his
comments about being in Iraq for another 100 years, the Democrats will
continue to manipulate and distort Senator McCain's words.
Misrepresenting Senator McCain's words, after all, is far more easily
done than actually going to Iraq, witnessing the dramatic changes on
the ground and accepting the advice of military leaders whose
experiences and opinions are contrary to the need among Democrats to
paint Iraq as a lost cause.