We all know John McCain's time as a PoW makes him uniquely qualified to lead the military, manage the economy and invent the Blackberry. But is it having another side-effect?
During the first Presidential debate McCain promised that the US
will come home with victory and with honor
from Iraq. Here's the clip. And this isn't the first time he's used the phrase: a quick search on brings up this and this amongst others. So this is obviously a theme he enjoys returning to. But why does it matter?
Nobody (bar, possibly, the Georgians) is going to enter a war with the intention of losing, but if the better part of valor is discretion surely being able to acknowledge when it's time to cut your loses is pretty important. Regardless of your views on the Iraq war does anybody realistically see a stable democracy emerging at the end of all this? The country (an invention of the British let's not forget) will simply tear itself apart in the absence of an occupying force - another Balkans. So unless McCain wants to station US troops there until the end of time exactly what does he want from victory? There's a discussion of this point in jillles diary.
But I digress. The point here is that McCain, along with many Vietnam vets, is deeply scarred by that war. Does he feel personally embarrassed that the US 'lost' there? Does he feel that US troops lost their honor by not coming home victorious? Does he see Iraq as a chance to make good any perceived failings? Vietnam was before my time so I'm not bet placed to answer these questions, but it does seem as though McCain is allowing his personal grievances to cloud his judgment of the current situation. And what's to say that this won't carry over into future conflicts
On top of his tendency to make rash, impulsive decision this really calls into question his ability to act as a rational Commander in Chief.