McCain Gets History Of The Surge Wrong, CBS Doesn't Air Footage

aps · 07-23-08, 05:16 AM

Is McCain's assessment intentionally incorrect or is he just a plain idiot?

Quote:

During a CBS interview on Tuesday, John McCain made a stone cold error on a subject about which he claims expert knowledge: the "surge" strategy in Iraq. In an interview with anchor Katie Couric, the Arizona Republican said, inaccurately, that the surge strategy was responsible for the much-touted "Anbar Awakening," in which Sunni sheiks turned against Al Qaeda, helping in turn to reduce violence in the country.

McCain Gets History Of The Surge Wrong, CBS Doesn't Air Footage

Please read the entire article because it would indicate that McCain intentionally misrepresented the facts since he was aware of the accurate facts back in January 2007.

Shame on you, John McCain. You suck.

PeteEU · 07-23-08, 06:36 AM

Damn liberal biased media!.. no wait. Its all Oberwhatshisname's fault and its all a lie. No wait.

On a more serious note, McCain is by far the worst of the 2 candidates in "twisting" the truth for political gain, when it comes to Iraq. When will both candidates actually start debating the facts instead going on sound bytes.

1. The surge had nothing to do with the change in Al Anbar province. Money money and more money had everything to do with the change in Al Anbar province, and it started months before the surge started.

2. McCain has claimed, along with most on the right, that the surge was key for the sectarian violence to go down. Not exactly true. What about Sadr's role in holding back his men? What about the clear and very open ethnic cleansing of areas of Baghdad and other cities. Yet McCain claims "victory" over the surge being the key factor in lessening the fighting... without any proof what so ever.

3. Obama has also been playing this game, by admitting that the surge worked.. again not backed up with facts. That he is sticking with his original idea that the Iraq war was a bad idea and the troops should be withdrawn, does not change the fact that he is promoting a clear right wing twisting of the facts and history.

I really hope the media start hitting McCain on his twisting of the facts or out right lies.. and finally start asking McCain the hard questions instead of lowballing him constantly and being all "WOW" over Obama (even though it is justified). It is after all not the first time McCain and his surrogates have been caught in twisting the truth for political gain, and even caught lieing/forgetting about certain facts.

bhkad · 07-23-08, 06:56 AM

An Army Captain made a stick figure power point presentation describing how to make use of the natural hierarchical organizations in the area, the Sheikhdoms, to help quell violence.

Capt. Patriquin was subsequently killed in Ramadi but his presentation lived on and served as the basis for the Anbar Awakening.

Quote:

Soldier-blogger "Teflon Don" says Capt. Patriquin's approach works: "A local sheikh came to the Army unit in charge of the sector he lived in, announced he wanted to fight the insurgents, and asked for help in doing so," he wrote Nov. 29. "To demonstrate his commitment, he organized his militia and began to quell some of the violence in the sector. With days, indirect fire attacks against U.S. bases dropped to nearly zero."

[...]

General Jack Keane, former vice chief of staff of the Army, and former West Point professor Frederick Kagan have a different view. They headed a study group for the American Enterprise Institute which issued its report Dec. 14. They think it's about time we tried the only thing that's ever worked in fighting insurgencies.

Every counterinsurgency that's succeeded has done so by protecting civilians from insurgents, Gen. Keane noted.

But protecting Iraqi civilians isn't even formally a mission for U.S. troops, which explains in part why we're doing such a poor job of it, Prof. Kagan said.

The mission given our military by the Bush administration is to train up the Iraqi security forces so we can leave. The Iraqi army and police are getting better. But the situation is deteriorating faster than the capabilities of the Iraqis are increasing.

Gen. Keane and Prof. Kagan want to surge U.S. troop levels by seven brigades (about 30,000 troops) to secure critical neighborhoods in Baghdad and Ramadi.

Along with the increase in the number of troops would be a change in strategy. Currently, after U.S. troops "clear" a neighborhood, they return to their bases, permitting insurgents to slip back in. Any civilians who cooperated with U.S. or Iraqi troops are subject to retribution, which discourages cooperation. The higher troop levels would permit a constant presence in the disputed neighborhoods.

RealClearPolitics - Articles - How to Win the War in al Anbar

This isn't the first time I've accessed information from this article from 2006. And all along, as the Troop Surge was being discussed I always lumped Capt. Patriquin's suggestion and "Clear, Hold, Build" and the Surge Plan as being like food coming out of a restaurant kitchen and going to a particular table. The fish and chicken might be ready first but as soon as the steak is done the plates all get sent out hot to the table. Chicken, fish, steak. All different. All hit the plates at different times but they all got sent out together and I think of them as being one order. Not three separate orders.

Quote:

YouTube - CPT Travis Patriquin, a Tribute

Posted by: mindy1 | December 25, 2007 at 09:05 PM

Outstanding! This historical story about the Anbar Awakening definitely needs to be made into a movie.

God bless CPT Travis Patriquin!

BLACKFIVE: Blackfive TV- CPT Travis Patriquin, a tribute

By the way here's a message for all the Democrats:

Quote:

Fatikhan, who wears tailored suits when not in traditional clothing, understands U.S. politics. He told a visiting journalist, “Please take a message to the Democrats: Let the American forces stay until we can hold Iraq together. Then we will have a party when American forces go.”

And we will have a party too.
Patterico’s Pontifications » Patriquin Plan Working in Al Anbar

BWG · 07-23-08, 07:49 PM

Can't imagine why this isn't getting much play...

McCain, (Let me tell you how experienced I am on foreign policy...particularly IRAQ), crediting 'the surge' for the Anbar Awakening, when in fact [then] Colonel MacFarland described it months before 'the surge'. A subject (with the correct time line) that McCain (along with his joined-at-the-hip-twin, Lieberman) talked about in a speech just a little over a year and a half ago.

And THEN, CBS editing the on air response........

Can you imagine if Obama had said the same thing and CBS had made an on air edit to cover his 'mis-remembering' (LOL...that word always makes me laugh), the richter scale from D.C. to Phoenix would have pegged from the rightwingers implosions.

Oh my!!!

faux indignations...

Congressional investigations...

John Cornyn's amendment to condemn CBS...

Hates the troops...

Hates American...

But it's Saint John, shhhhhhhh.

aps · 07-24-08, 05:29 AM

CBS admits the "error." Sorry, but I believe it was intentional.

Quote:

When CBS's Katie Couric interviewed John McCain on Tuesday, her producers edited one exchange to include part of McCain's answer to a previous question on Iraq -- and, in the process, deleted comments that have touched off a controversy.

The "CBS Evening News" interview began with Couric quoting Barack Obama as saying that "there might have been improved security even without the surge. What's your response to that?"

But what viewers saw next was not what the Arizona senator said next, an out-of-order sequence that news organizations generally do not allow. . . .

Left on the cutting-room floor was McCain accusing Obama of "a false depiction of what actually happened. Colonel MacFarland was contacted by one of the major Sunni sheiks. Because of the surge we were able to go out and protect that sheik and others. And it began the Anbar awakening. I mean, that's just a matter of history."

But the official, Col. Sean MacFarland, has said that Sunni leaders began cooperating against al-Qaeda months before President Bush's surge began. . . .

McCain's Interview on CBS | The Trail | washingtonpost.com

CBS News Senior Vice President Paul Friedman stated (from link above), "The report was edited under extreme time constraints and one piece of tape was put in the wrong order. Fortunately, this did not in any way distort what Senator McCain was saying."

Your editing didn't distort what McCain was saying? Are you joking me? Who's buying this crap?

bhkad · 07-24-08, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BWG

Can't imagine why this isn't getting much play...

McCain, (Let me tell you how experienced I am on foreign policy...particularly IRAQ), crediting 'the surge' for the Anbar Awakening, when in fact [then] Colonel MacFarland described it months before 'the surge'. A subject (with the correct time line) that McCain (along with his joined-at-the-hip-twin, Lieberman) talked about in a speech just a little over a year and a half ago.

And THEN, CBS editing the on air response........

Can you imagine if Obama had said the same thing and CBS had made an on air edit to cover his 'mis-remembering' (LOL...that word always makes me laugh), the richter scale from D.C. to Phoenix would have pegged from the rightwingers implosions.

Oh my!!!

faux indignations...

Congressional investigations...

John Cornyn's amendment to condemn CBS...

Hates the troops...

Hates American...

But it's Saint John, shhhhhhhh.

Well, of course the reason why is because if someone understands the most important thing about Iraq is to stay until Iranian aggression can be resisted by the Iraqis then the rest of the details are, indeed, a case of his 'mis-remembering.'

Conversely, Rhodes Scholars and Harvard grads who can accurately remember each event on the Iraq Invasion & War timeline who don't grasp the importance of staying until Iraq can defend itself are actually like 'Idiot Savants.' They have a particular admirable skill which lacks relevance to the greater overall raison d'être.

bhkad · 07-24-08, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aps

CBS admits the "error." Sorry, but I believe it was intentional.

CBS News Senior Vice President Paul Friedman stated (from link above), "The report was edited under extreme time constraints and one piece of tape was put in the wrong order. Fortunately, this did not in any way distort what Senator McCain was saying."

Your editing didn't distort what McCain was saying? Are you joking me? Who's buying this ~~crap?~~ reasonable explanation?

BWG · 07-24-08, 11:18 AM

McCains spin today...

Quote:

Republican John McCain pushed back on Wednesday against Democratic criticism that he misstated when the troop buildup ordered by President Bush began, saying elements were put in place before Bush announced the strategy in early 2007.

The Associated Press: McCain denies he misstated timing of Iraq surge

and what he said on CBS

Quote:

"Because of the surge, we were able to go out and protect that sheik and others. And it began the Anbar awakening."

Is that sorta like temporarily eliminating the fed gas tax? It had a psychological impact?

It wasn't really the surge yet, but we were thinking about it...LOL...

I think some in that camp are thinking, November can't get here fast enough.

jallman · 07-24-08, 01:03 PM

Meh. I find it no worse than Obama claiming some committee that he doesn't even serve on is "his committee". It's not cool to do but they're politicians. I do say this seems more like a stupid mistake than it does an intentional deception. That whole situation is so complex that I doubt anyone can keep the time lines straight every time they are questioned.

History is still writing itself where Iraq is concerned. It's not like there's an accurate crib sheet available at all times.

independent_thinker2002 · 07-24-08, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jallman

Meh. I find it no worse than Obama claiming some committee that he doesn't even serve on is "his committee". It's not cool to do but they're politicians. I do say this seems more like a stupid mistake than it does an intentional deception. That whole situation is so complex that I doubt anyone can keep the time lines straight every time they are questioned.

History is still writing itself where Iraq is concerned. It's not like there's an accurate crib sheet available at all times.

It's funny, if nothing else. He was jabbing at Obama and punched himself in the nose.