McCain: I was right about Iraq strategy

[shevaub]

Iowa (AP) — Republican presidential hopeful John McCain said Tuesday that he was right from the start about the war strategy in Iraq. "For almost four years we pursued a failed policy in Iraq. ... I condemned it, I was criticized by Republicans and others for doing so, and I saw it was doomed to failure and I argued for the strategy that is now succeeding," McCain said.
The current strategy under Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, including the infusion of thousands of additional troops, is right on track, McCain said.
"This strategy is working. It is succeeding, and it must be given a chance to succeed," he said.
McCain spoke at an airport hangar in western Iowa, where he made a grand entrance from his campaign bus for two days of appearances, part of a tour he has dubbed "No Surrender."
McCain is trying to breathe new life into his campaign, which has floundered partly because of his unwavering support for the war and for the addition of thousands more troops to Iraq.
He flew in from Washington, where as the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee he questioned Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker about the military and political situation in Iraq.
Both officials acknowledged that Iraq remains largely dysfunctional but said violence had decreased since the addition of U.S. troops.
McCain said he understands "the bitterness" of the debate over the war. But he said Americans can either choose to support U.S. troops and the strategy or "we can choose to lose."
"I choose to win, I choose to stay and I choose to support these young men and women and let them win," McCain said.
McCain spoke hours after Petraeus recommended to Congress that the U.S. withdraw, by July 2008, the 30,000 extra troops sent over earlier this year.
Flanked by war veterans and huge American flags that hung from the ceiling, McCain addressed about 200 people on the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Asked by reporters whether it was appropriate to campaign on the anniversary, McCain said it was a fitting tribute.
"The important thing about September 11 is that it not be repeated. If we leave Iraq, then it will be repeated," he said. "I can't think of a better way to remember and revere their memories and prevent further tragedies and attacks on the United States than to rally support" to stay and win the war in Iraq.
McCain, a Navy pilot who spent 6 1/2 years in a North Vietnamese prison during the Vietnam War, was introduced by Col. Bud Day, of Sioux City, one of McCain's fellow prisoners of war in Hanoi.
Day said he is endorsing McCain because he was right about the strategy that should be taken in Iraq.

[DinarHogg]

More Good things!!!


[A final note before closing the Anbar series. I am in London today, preparing to fly back to Iraq on 8 September. My plans are to go with the British for a time, then with the American Air Force, and then back with our ground forces. The “big report” on Iraq should be released in a few days. People are likely to make much comment about it—indeed, my next “dispatch” will be about that same report. Already some in the media and in positions of political influence at home are posturing about a report which, if accurate, can only be a reflection of the complex situation on the ground in Iraq.
No one can predict the future, but all who are in a position of authority vis à vis our policy about Iraq should realize that something truly seems to have changed on the ground and momentum forward is accelerating this change. It is possible that fighting will begin to wind down in most areas of the country, as the security gains of the past few months begin to produce more and more of the collateral political, economic and social gains that have been inhibited largely by terror and fear.
And should that occur, we’ll need to decide what our next step will be. If we put our foot on the gas in helping Iraq stand again, Iraq could actually become a strong and firm partner of the United States. But it is equally possible that all the gains made to date will unravel before the eyes of the world, if we point that foot instead toward the door of a premature exit.
But regardless of US election cycles and news fatigue, the timing here will reflect the conditions on the ground. With a premature withdrawal it may only be months before the unraveling begins, but even with our continued presence, it will be years before Iraq can truly stand. It will be years before the Iraqi military is “done.” The Iraqi Army has made tremendous progress, but the task is immense. The commitment should not require all of the resources assembled there now for all of that time, but there is no way around the fact that years are required. If we want Iraq to succeed, we must stick it out. We are succeeding today in Iraq.]

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