John McCain: Terrorists are our ally

John McCain said in his speech last night that terrorists in Pakistan are our ally.  He did not say it that directly, but there can be no other implication.  This is proves he's living in the Cold War era of foreign policy, where the main enemy is the Soviet Union and Donald Rumsfeld gets chummy with Saddam Hussein while the CIA sends weapons to Osama bin Laden.  

Is McCain planning to resume those care packages to al Qaeda?  He's starting to sound like it.

Here's what he said said:

Wednesday morning, the McCain called Obama "naive" for saying he'd be willing to use military action against "our ally in Pakistan."

Ok, but he doesn't specify who the ally is.  He says the ally is in Pakistan, not that the ally is Pakistan.  The ally is whoever Obama said he'd be willing to use military action against.  Let's see who that was:

"If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will," Obama said.

High-value terrorist targets!  That's who Obama would be willing to use force against.  So that's who John McCain considers to be our ally.

John McCain, why do you love terrorists so much?

Of course, I suppose I could be nitpicking words to look for a meaning that isn't there.  Maybe I'm even distorting what was said or what was meant.  But since those are clearly the rules of the game John McCain is playing with regard to this exact quote, we might as well make the next move.  It's time for John McCain to answer for his unabashed belief that terrorists are our allies.

•  Only high-value terrorist targets are our allies

  I mean, we did pay and train most of them.

  by Still Thinking on Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 11:45:05 AM PDT

•  Desperate McCain, otherwise know as Mr.McCan&rsq

  In an effort to boost his ego, John McCain stated that Barack Obama is ‘naïve" and blasted him for wanting to bomb Pakistan with out their permission if we proved that Al Qaeda is using Pakistan as a safe haven.  

  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

  I will not get into the debate of the pro or con of bombing Pakistan, but I find this amusing since it coming from the Republican Party.   I remember back in 2004 during one of the debate Senator Kerry and President Bush, both were asked about the Iraq war and Senator Kerry states that he would consult the United Nation first, (he was not asking for permission) but the media, President Bush and the Republicans make it a big deal and painted Senator Kerry weak and they all stated that he Senator Kerry was turning over U.S. National Security jurisdiction to the United Nation...which we all know was false.

  I am not advocating the bombing of Pakistan; but since his statement is so hypocritical, I would like to see how he McCain spins this... (Asking Pakistan for permission before the bomb them).  
  "The best idea is not to broadcast what you're going to do, that's naive," said McCain, who also questioned the very notion of "bombing Pakistan without their permission." ...
  

  by jamaicanblood on Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 11:45:31 AM PDT

•  two reasons come to mind...

  "war monger" and "fear monger"... if the terrorists go out of business, so does voting out of fear...

  by Thomas McMillan on Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 11:50:58 AM PDT

•  McCain is WEAK on Al Qaeda

  He bashed Obama for suggesting invading Pakistan but actually Obama said that "if we have actionalbe intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will".

  Thus Obama is to the RIGHT of McCain on going after Al Qaeda in Pakistan.

  by Drdemocrat on Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 11:52:48 AM PDT

  •  see www.juancole.com today about McCain. n/t

    by skrekk on Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 12:05:14 PM PDT

•  I have always said

  John McCain is nothing but a bloody old fool.

  by The British Observer on Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 12:13:30 PM PDT

•  Ridiculous

  I very much dislike the idea of John McCain in the Oval Office, but this is a pitiful piece of reasoning.  John McCain is quite obviously using a (perhaps antiquated) expression of "X has a friend in Y" meaning "Y is X's friend".  He is not saying that Al Qaida is our ally.

  I disagree with his argument but he is really saying that we would be assaulting the sovereignty of Pakistan, which is an allied nation to us by bombing in their territory without their permission.

  I'm all for pointing out errors in John McCain's reasoning, but posting inept hit journals makes us progressives look incompetent.

  by Meng Bomin on Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 12:17:36 PM PDT

  •  You're missing the point

    Obama said he would attack terrorists in Pakistan.
    McCain distorted that to say Obama would attack Pakistan.

    Now McCain says the people Obama would attack would be "our friend in Pakistan."
    So I'm distorting that to say he thinks the terrorists are our friends.

    I'm just satirizing McCain's absurd argument.

    I disagree with his argument but he is really saying that we would be assaulting the sovereignty of Pakistan, which is an allied nation to us by bombing in their territory without their permission.

    No, he isn't.  He's saying Barack Obama wants to bomb the nation of Pakistan.  Don't think for a second he's trying to make the more subtle and reasonable point you've suggested.  

    McCain knows exactly what he's trying to get people to believe.  He wants the people who are whispering that Obama's a Muslim, the same people who are whispering that he refuses to say the pledge, to start whispering that he wants to bomb our allies.

    His distortion is every bit as ridiculous as the one I put in this diary.  That's the whole point of this diary.

    by Troutnut on Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 03:21:54 PM PDT

    •  Ah.

      Sorry.

      by Meng Bomin on Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 08:26:43 PM PDT

•  I had some similar thoughts

  in this diary.  McCain is giving Obama a nice opening in the national security debate.

  Alex
  Choose Our President 2008

  by ourprez08 on Wed Feb 20, 2008 at 12:22:40 PM PDT