McCain Moving From Gaffes About Al Qaeda in Iraq to Outright Lies

While in front of a lot of journalists while traveling through the Mid East, and McCain shows why he can't get those AQI relationships correct.  It's because he's straight out lying about them at other times.

He's portraying a classic liar's syndrome, the inability to keep the facts straight when one is in front of those who will call him on his mistakes that bleed through from the lies he's saying.

 He does it because he thinks he can get away with it. And he's right.  No major broohaha has developed over the lies like what was cooked up over which church Obama goes to or whether or not working class voters are 'bitter'. 

I think the egregious lies McCain is telling deserve a major uproar since they are about a major issue.

This is what McCain says at his campaign stops, apparently:

"If we left," McCain continued, "they [(al Qaeda in Iraq)]wouldn't be establishing a base. They wouldn't be establishing a base, they'd be taking a country, and I am not going to let that happen, my friends."

The reality (all excerpts here are from Media Matters for America report ): 

...commentators, including a former director of the National Security Agency, have asserted that the scenario McCain describes is unlikely. Indeed, in his written testimony for an April 2 Senate Foreign Relations committee hearing, former National Security Agency director and retired Army Lt. Gen. William Odom stated: "The concern we hear the president and his aides express about a residual base left for al Qaeda if we withdraw [from Iraq] is utter nonsense." Discussing local Sunni sheiks in Anbar province, Odom added, "The Sunnis will soon destroy al Qaeda if we leave Iraq."

Further, in a February 27 post on Time magazine's Swampland blog, columnist Joe Klein wrote of McCain's "they'd be taking a country" remark:

They'd be taking a country? Last time I checked, Iraq has a Shi'ite majority. McCain thinks the Shi'ites -- the Mahdi Army, the Badr Corps (and yes, the Iranians) -- would allow a small group of Sunni extremists to take over? In fact, as noted above, the vast majority of indigenous Iraqi Sunnis aren't too thrilled about the AQI presence in their country, either. (The usual caveats apply: AQI is barbaric, dastardly and intent on violating the Qu'ran by engaging in the annihilation of innocents. We can't get rid of them fast enough.)

This is actually not a mispeak like his gaffes in front of reporters overseas or in the Senate while questioning (and pandering to) General Petraeus.  Those are funny though they do make you wonder about the senator's mental abilities.

The statement at the campaign stop is an outright lie, not unlike the ones that the Bush administration used to get us into Iraq.  Straight up bullshit and even more reminiscent of the lies and scamming Rudy Giuliani was using to terror-bait his way into the White House.  

So, just who is advising McCain anyway, and what position would he be giving to the former mayor of New York if elected?  After all the man got out of the senator's way and endorsed him.  That means McCain owes him big time, as he does the whole crew of idiots that bowed out of the Republican nomination race.  Can you imagine Secretary of State Rudy Giuliani?  What could be worse?  A liar for president, for one.

BTW, notice that Joe Klein called McCain on his claim that Al Qaeda in Iraq would take over the nation back on February 27th.  McCain did not just "misstate" something once.  He uses this lie repeatedly.  It almost makes me wonder what other lies he's telling.

And, btw, aren't people sick of the poses of most politicians that are a cross of The Lone Ranger and Mighty Mouse ?  Hillary keeps promising to work miracles for working class whites.  McCain is posing as the only savior for America based on the lie that Al Qaeda is going to take over  Iraq creating another state sponsored haven for the leadership of the real al Qaeda (which has few ties with AQI and which has it's renewed haven in  the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area thanks to the Bush administration's and McCain's promise of future focus on the oil rich nation of Iraq).

The lack of hyperbole and ego,  along with evidence of great intelligence and willingness to work with others are what attracts so  many people, I think.  And, in fact,  a cooperative spirit, is not a campaign ploy.  It is a characteristic that can heal our nation.  But every one involved has to join in.  So far the campaign of three isn't working out so well as two candidates continually try to destroy the third one.

tags: iraq  war  al qaeda in iraq  john mccain  barack  obama  hillary  clinton  campaign speeches  

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