McCain, has to convince Americans on the War....

naturemomma · #1 (**permalink**) 02-26-2008, 10:22 AM

McCain: To Win, He Must Convince Country Iraq Policy Succeeding

Last Update: 2/25 9:56 pm

Web produced by: Neil Relyea

By LIZ SIDOTI,
Associated Press Writer

ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (AP) -- John McCain said Monday that to win the White House he must convince a war-weary country that U.S. policy in Iraq is succeeding.

If he can't, "then I lose. I lose," the Republican said.

He quickly backed off that remark.

"Let me not put it that stark," the likely GOP nominee told reporters on his campaign bus. "Let me just put it this way: Americans will judge my candidacy first and foremost on how they believe I can lead the country both from our economy and for national security. Obviously, Iraq will play a role in their judgment of my ability to handle national security."

"If I may, I'd like to retract 'I'll lose.' But I don't think there's any doubt that how they judge Iraq will have a direct relation to their judgment of me, my support of the surge," McCain added. "Clearly, I am tied to it to a large degree."

The five-year-old Iraq conflict already is emerging as a fault line in the general election, with the Arizona senator calling for the U.S. military to continue its mission while his Democratic opponents urge speedy withdrawal.

While most Republicans still back the war, many independents and Democrats don't.

That presents a significant challenge for McCain and an opportunity for either Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton.

McCain acknowledged the war will be "a significant factor in how the American people judge my candidacy."

The lead Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, McCain has consistently backed the war although he's long criticized the way it was waged after the Saddam Hussein's fall.

He was an original proponent of President Bush's troop-increase strategy, having called for more forces on the ground for several years.

Last spring, McCain went all in on the war by embracing it as Bush took heat for boosting troop levels to quell violence.

"We can fail in Iraq," McCain said Monday in an Associated Press interview.

But, he added: "I see a clear path to success in Iraq."

He defined that as fewer casualties and Iraqi troops taking over security to allow U.S. forces to return home.

"All of us want out of Iraq, the question is how do we want out of Iraq," he added.

McCain has signaled that he plans to make Iraq and national security a major part of his general election campaign.

Daily, he accuses both Obama and Clinton as wanting to "wave the white flag of surrender."

Democrats, for their part, are arguing that McCain's candidacy is simply a continuation of Bush's "failed" policies.

They have seized on a previous McCain remark in which he suggested that U.S. troop presence -- at some level -- could extend 100 years or more.

At a town hall-style meeting in suburban Cleveland, McCain accused Democrats of distorting that comment and sought to explain.

"The war will be over soon, the war for all intents and purposes, although the insurgency will go on for years and years and years.

But it will be handled by the Iraqis, not by us," he said.

Like after other wars, he said, the United States then will decide "what kind of security arrangement we want to have with the Iraqis."

While McCain attracts voters across the political spectrum, he is sure to face resistance this fall for his Iraq position in Ohio and other swing states that have seen high numbers of residents die in Iraq.

Over the next eight months, McCain said he would take the same approach when discussing Iraq that he's taken all year as he won primary after primary on his way to securing the GOP nomination.

Speaking to reporters on his bus, he said he would "tell them that I understand their frustration and their sorrow over the sacrifice that has been made and then I try to explain to them what's at stake and what's going on there now. And that's the best I can do."

McCain said his candidacy will be successful "if I can convince the American people, the people of Ohio, that this is succeeding, that the casualties will continue down, although there are occasional spikes."

"So I have to, and I believe can, make an argument that the surge is succeeding, that we will end this war and have the Iraqis take over those responsibilities as we more and more assume support roles and then withdraw," he added.

McCain recalled reading a USA Today poll that he said showed most people believe the troop-increase strategy is succeeding, and said: "Now, still the majority of Americans want out of Iraq. And, I understand that, too. So do I."

The survey actually found that 43 percent -- not a majority -- said the troop increase is "making the situation there better," up from 22 percent in July.

Asked why he asked to retract the "I lose" remark, McCain said much else could impact his chances.

"We've got many months to go before the general election," he said. "But is Iraq an important part of the judgment that people will make of me, of course."

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

Fuckin' jackass.

mulp · #2 (**permalink**) 02-26-2008, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Officers: U.S. military stretched 'dangerously thin'

Story Highlights
- Eighty percent of officers: It's unreasonable to expect U.S. to wage another major war
- Officers have "overwhelmingly negative view" of early decisions shaping Iraq war
- Fifty-six percent of officers disagree that the Iraq war has "broken" the military
- Results based on survey of 3,400 present and former U.S. military officers

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Iraq war has strained U.S. forces to the point where they could not fight another large-scale war, according to a survey of military officers.

Of those surveyed, 88 percent believe the demands of the Iraq war have "stretched the U.S. military dangerously thin."

On the other hand, 56 percent of the officers disagree that the war has "broken" the military.

Eighty percent of officers believe it is unreasonable to expect the U.S. military to wage another major war successfully at present.

Foreign Policy magazine and the Center for a New American Security on Tuesday issued the U.S. Military Index, a survey of 3,400 present and former U.S. military officers.

"We asked the officers whether they thought the U.S. military was stronger or weaker than it was five years ago," said Michael Boyer, who helped write the report.

"Sixty percent said the U.S. military is weaker than it was five years ago," Boyer told reporters.

The report found that officers "see a military apparatus severely strained by the grinding demands of war." More than half of the officers responding cited the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the "pace of troop deployments" needed for those conflicts, the survey said.

The report comes a few weeks before the five-year anniversary of the Iraq war, where a troop "surge" is winding down by summer. The U.S. military is proposing a pause in troop reductions for a period of review before any more decisions on withdrawals.

The officers have "an overwhelmingly negative view" of many of the early decisions shaping the Iraq war, but most believe the present U.S. counterinsurgency strategy and troop increases are good omens for success in Iraq.

A majority of officers in the Iraq war say some policy decisions have "hindered the prospects for success there."

"These include shortening the time units spend at home between deployments and accepting more recruits who do not meet the military's standards. Even the military's ability to care for some of its own -- mentally wounded soldiers and veterans -- was judged by most officers to be substandard," the survey found.

At the same time, 64 percent of the officers believe morale in the military remains high.

Nearly three-quarters of the officers believe civilian leaders set "unreasonable goals for the military in post-Saddam Iraq."

"They believe more troops were needed on the ground at the start of the fighting. They believe disbanding the Iraqi military was a mistake," the survey said. However, nearly nine of 10 think the surge and Gen. David Petraeus' counterinsurgency strategy are "raising the U.S. military's chance for success there."

The officers believe "that either China or Iran, not the United States, is emerging as the strategic victor" in the Iraq war.

"The United States has been preoccupied away from Asia," said Kurt Campbell, the head of the group that conducted the survey.

China's rising influence worldwide predates the war but is part of a "great game under way in Asia for influence, for relationships," Campbell said.

The U.S. focus on Iraq "sends a message to our friends and others that maybe we're not as focused on the drama that's playing out there," he said.

Iran has gained from the war because of the removal of Iraq "as a strategic counterweight," the report said.

The survey portrayed Iran, the Taiwan Strait (where tensions have flared between China and Taiwan), Syria and North Korea as four potential hot spots and sought opinions of how prepared the U.S. is "to successfully fight a major combat operation there."

Officers were asked to judge the preparedness of the U.S. on a scale of one to 10, with 10 meaning "fully prepared" and one indicating "unable to execute."

Iran was rated 4.5, the Taiwan Strait ( where there have been tensions between China and Taiwan) 4.9, Syria 5.1, and North Korea 4.7.

The officers ranked the Navy and Air Force readiness the highest at 6.8 and 6.6, respectively. The Army and Marines, which have assumed the "bulk of the burden in Iraq and Afghanistan," ranked 4.7 and 5.7, respectively.

Other results of the survey:

Officers call for more Special Operations Forces, improvements in intelligence, and better space and cyberwarfare capabilities for the military's fight in the war on terror.

To improve recruitment efforts, nearly 80 percent back "expanding options for legal, foreign permanent residents of the United States to serve in exchange for U.S. citizenship."

When asked if they agree or disagree with the statement "torture is never acceptable," 53 percent agreed and 44 percent disagreed.

Officers have relatively low confidence in civilian institutions -- giving the presidency a 5.5 rating and Congress 2.7. The Defense Department received 5.6, the CIA 4.7, Department of Veterans Affairs 4.5, and State Department 4.1.

"Sixty-six percent of the officers say they believe U.S. elected leaders are either somewhat or very uninformed about the military," the survey said.

The survey found nearly nine in 10 officers "agree that, all other things being equal, the military will respect a president of the United States who has served in the military more than one who has not."

Officers: U.S. military stretched 'dangerously thin' - CNN.com

The surge is working: "The officers believe "that either China or Iran, not the United States, is emerging as the strategic victor" in the Iraq war."

The surge is working: "These include shortening the time units spend at home between deployments and accepting more recruits who do not meet the military's standards. Even the military's ability to care for some of its own -- mentally wounded soldiers and veterans -- was judged by most officers to be substandard."

The surge is working: "Eighty percent of officers believe it is unreasonable to expect the U.S. military to wage another major war successfully at present."