Friday, January 05, 2007
McCain's Potential Price
Earlier today, Senator John McCain (R-AZ), a likely 2008 presidential candidate, declared that he is willing to pay any political price for his fervant support of an escalation of US troops in Iraq, even if it's a "misjudgement."
...."Well, as you know, I harbor ambitions for the presidency, but there's nothing more important than our nation's security," McCain responded. "I have to do what I believe is right and what I know is right."
"And if I pay a price for that and it's a misjudgment, that's a price I'd willingly pay," McCain added.
Former Democratic North Carolina Senator John Edwards, who announced his second presidential run last week, gave McCain's stance on Iraq a new nickname.
"It would be an enormous mistake to adopt the McCain doctrine and escalate the war," Edwards said, adding that the senator was "dead wrong."
I completely disagree with McCain's stance, and I honestly can't for a second understand why any thinking person would believe that sending less than 50,000 troops to Iraq could do anything but make things worse over there. Over 50,000 and I could at least recognize a strategy - one I wouldn't agree with - but a speculated 10 to 30,000 means absolutely nothing. Other than going door to door and treating every Iraqi like an insurgent, what the fuck do some politicians think more troops could possibly do in Iraq. Besides, there's more than enough troops already there to participate in counter-insurgency operations or train Iraqi soldiers or whatever the fuck people think will help "win" this war...but they're too busy guarding the real reason we're there and won't be leaving anytime soon (and you're a fool if you believe anyone you saw on television today who talked about "new directions" but pretend that Americans "get up and go" with nothing but air in their tanks).
Like most pre-2004, liberal McCain-likers-if-not-lovers, I kind of feel personally offended at many of the Arizona Senator's actions, moves, and statements the last few years. Offended because it's the same old shit that happens with every single politician no matter where they seem to be running: the closer they get to the prize, the further they go to the right. Offended because it's hard to respect a person that you feel deserves tremendous respect when they get so they don't seem to even respect what they have done to earn such respect in the first place.
But you know what?
Regardless of whether or not you think McCain is a scumbag for wooing a crowd that would prefer to burn him at the stake. Regardless of whether or not you think McCain is a scumbag for caving in on his principled stand against torture. Regardless of whether or not you think McCain is an idiot for kissing the ass of an unpopular lame duck when he'd get far more support if he hopped back on the straight talk express.
You have to at least recognize the fact that one price this Senator may potentially pay would cost far more than lost votes.
I agree that the McCain doctrine is "dead wrong" but at least this man doesn't think that wars should be fought only by other people's sons and daughters.
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