After reading about John McCain's 'coordinated campaign' to infiltrate the blogosphere and in particular DailyKos, I accidentally stumbled on some of it's content.
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Rather than write about the rather transparent and futile attempt to blast his talking points here, and it looks like there is already a diary on the reclist about this since I started writing... I thought I would 'translate' his policy on Iraq for your amusement!
Enjoy (after the jump)...
Strategy for Victory in Iraq
A handful of meaningless political statements
The Importance of Succeeding
Why we should stay in Iraq for 100 years.
John McCain believes it is strategically and morally essential for the United States to support the Government of Iraq to become capable of governing itself and safeguarding its people.
My friends, the bit about "strategically and morally essential" is to cover the fact that there is no constitutional or international authority or requirement that we should have invaded in the first place, nor that we remain in a country we illegally invaded.
He believes strongly disagrees with those who advocate withdrawing American troops before that has occurred.
My friends, I am sure that once you have stopped laughing at my illiteracy, you will see that I am all for staying in Iraq as long as possible.
It would be a grave mistake to leave before Al Qaeda in Iraq is defeated and before a competent, trained, and capable Iraqi security force is in place and operating effectively.
My friends, it was a grave mistake to invade Iraq in the first place. If we pull out now, it will look like we were the ones who brought Al Qaeda into Iraq.
We must help the Government of Iraq battle those who provoke sectarian tensions and promote a civil war that could destabilize the Middle East.
My friends, I believe that a few thousand amateurs with homegrown weapons in sectarian groups from a battered and impoverished nation will have the might to destabilize its neighboring nations some of whom rank as the wealthiest in the world, and have hundreds of thousands in their highly trained and armed military, including a sophisticated air force and navy.
Iraq must not become a failed state, a haven for terrorists, or a pawn of Iran.
My friends, Iraq IS a failed state already. It’s too late. And guess what? WE DID IT!
These likely consequences of America's failure in Iraq almost certainly would either require us to return or draw us into a wider and far costlier war.
My friends, I want you to know that staying in Iraq is better than being in a costlier war. Oh, erm... ok, staying is costlier... but...not staying in will almost certainly be costlier. And by the way, when I say ‘require us’ I am not referring to any constitutional ‘requirement’, it’s just that... well... Halliburton ‘requires’ us there.
The best way to secure long-term peace and security is to establish a stable, prosperous, and democratic state in Iraq that poses no threat to its neighbors and contributes to the defeat of terrorists.
My friends, one of the reasons we are in Iraq is to make sure it gets on well with its neighbors, like Iran and Syria.
When Iraqi forces can safeguard their own country, American troops can return home.
My friends, as long as we can point to any trouble in Iraq, we will continue to justify putting the lives of our military at risk so Cheney’s buddies can make billions.
Support the Successful Counterinsurgency Strategy
The surge for countering surgency
John McCain has been a leading advocate of the "surge" and the counterinsurgency strategy carried out by General David Petraeus.
My friends, as you may recall, in 2006 (the year I said we should talk with Hamas), I also said "We’re either going to lose this thing or win this thing within the next several months". I was wrong then, and I am just as wrong now.
At the end of 2006, four years of a badly conceived military strategy that concentrated American troops on large bases brought us near to the point of no return. Sectarian violence in Iraq was spiraling out of control. Al Qaeda in Iraq was on the offensive. Entire provinces were under extremists’ control and were deemed all but lost.
My friends, what I’m trying to say is that for four years, under the government of President Bush, WE F#@*&D UP!
At that critical moment, John McCain supported sending reinforcements to Iraq to implement a classic counterinsurgency strategy of securing the population.
Sending in another 20,000 troops seemed like a good way to get me on TV just before I launched my campaign for the nomination.
That strategy has paid off. From June 2007 through March 2008, sectarian and ethnic violence in Iraq was reduced by 90 percent. Civilian deaths and deaths of coalition forces fell by 70 percent.
My friends, take this with a pinch of salt, remember I am no good with math and hopeless on the economy.
This has opened the way for a return to something that approaches normal political and economic life for the average Iraqi. Political reconciliation is occurring across Iraq at the local and provincial grassroots level. Sunni and Shi'a chased from their homes by terrorist and sectarian violence are returning. The "Sons of Iraq" and Awakening movements, where former Sunni insurgents have now joined in the fight against Al Qaeda, continue to grow.
My friends, thanks to our efforts in Iraq, the sky has opened, the light has come down, and celestial choirs are singing. Last time Cindy was in town, General Petraeus drove her around town in his open topped Ferrari to the Baghdad Bloomingdales so she could do the weekly shopping.
Those gains would be lost if we were to follow the policy advocated by Senator Barack Obama to withdraw most of our troops and leave behind only a small "strike force" to battle terrorists.
My friends, I know I keep saying we are only in Iraq because of terrorists, but not really. The real reason is ... THE OIL!!!
That is, in essence, the same strategy of withdrawing from Iraq’s streets that failed in 2006. John McCain advocates continuing the successful counterinsurgency strategy that began in 2007.
My friends, I may not been exactly competent in the military, but it’s all I know. If I don’t campaign on war, war and more war, then you will soon see how useless I am on any other issue.
Push for Political Reconciliation and Good Government
My A-push-ment Strategy
Thanks to the success of the surge, Iraq's political order is evolving in positive and hopeful ways. Four out of the six laws cited as benchmarks by the U.S. have been passed by the Iraqi legislature. A law on amnesty and a law rolling back some of the harsher restrictions against former employees of the Iraqi government have made it possible for Iraqis to move toward genuine reconciliation.
My friends, the laws that are being repealed are the ones we helped create, so at least something is getting better.
The legislature has devolved greater power to local and provincial authorities, where much of the real work of rebuilding Iraq is taking place.
My friends, by ‘devolving great power’ to provincial authorities, it allows us to intimidate local officials easier so that we can employ even more Halliburton and Co stooges to do the work that could easily be done by locals.
More progress is necessary. The government must improve its ability to serve all Iraqis. A key test for the Iraqi government will be finding jobs in the security services and the civilian sector for the "Sons of Iraq" who have risked so much to battle terrorists.
My friends, just as we have done in our own Presidential office, it is important to let the Iraqi leaders appoint their buddies ("Sons of Iraq") to important positions of influence in the military and security services.
Iraq will conduct two landmark elections in the near future – one for provincial governments in late 2008 and the other for the national government in 2009.
My friends, there was an election in October 2005, but I’m sure you will have forgotten about it, so George and I thought it would be fun to have another one just before the US General Election. The idea is that we can show that things are going great over in Iraq and you will all vote for ME ME ME!
John McCain believes we should welcome a larger United Nations role in supporting the elections. The key condition for successful elections is for American troops to continue to work with brave Iraqis to allow the voting to take place in relative freedom and security. Iraqis need to know that the U.S. will not abandon them, but will continue to press their politicians to show the necessary leadership to help develop their country.
My friends, I believe that although the UN was wrong to criticize us for invading a foreign nation via a pre-emptive war, it’s only fair that they should clean up the mess we made of it.
Get Iraq's Economy Back on its Feet
Get As Much Oil Outta There While We Can
John McCain believes that economic progress is essential to sustaining security gains in Iraq. Markets that were once silent and deserted have come back to life in many areas, but high unemployment rates continue to fuel criminal and insurgent violence. To move young men away from the attractions of well-funded extremists, we need a vibrant, growing Iraqi economy. The Iraqi government can jump-start this process by using a portion of its budget surplus to employ Iraqis in infrastructure projects and in restoring basic services.
My friends, their unemployment woes are mostly our fault. We fired all the soldiers; we bombed their place of work and destroyed all their trading, communications and transportation infrastructure.
The international community should bolster proven microfinance programs to spur local-level entrepreneurship throughout the country
My friends, the good news is that we will be signing a new agreement with Halliburton that allows them to charge us the same for an Iraqi doing a job as we now pay for a US contractor. They only have to pay the minimum wage of course, so extra profits for Cheyney.
Iraq's Arab neighbors, in particular, should promote regional stability by directly investing the fruits of their oil exports in Iraq. As these efforts begin to take hold in Iraq, the private sector, as always, will create the jobs and propel the growth that will end reliance on outside aid. Iraq’s government needs support to better deliver basic services—clean water, garbage collection, abundant electricity, and, above all, a basic level of security—that create a climate where the Iraqi economy creation can flourish.
My friends, I believe that Iraq’s neighbors should invest in Iraq. Countries like Iran and Syria should recruit many Iraqis to ‘improve their security’.
Call for International Pressure on Syria and Iran
It’s Time to 'Appease' Iran and Syria
Syria and Iran have aided and abetted the violence in Iraq for too long. Syria has refused to crack down on Iraqi insurgents and foreign terrorists operating within its territory. Iran has been providing the most extreme and violent Shia militias with training, weapons, and technology that kill American and Iraqi troops. American military spokesmen have also said there is evidence that Iran has provided aid to Sunni insurgents.
My friends, "the technology that kill ..." is a big deal. Although we tried to stir up a story about a massive discovery of Iranian arms in Iraq, it turns out some guy in their parliament told the truth and we were found out. Don’t worry, we will find another reason to invade Iran. Oh, and Cindy says we can invade Syria now as she sold her shares she owned in Syrian companies.
The answer is not unconditional dialogues with these two dictatorships from a position of weakness. The answer is for the international community to apply real pressure to Syria and Iran to change their behavior. The United States must also bolster its regional military posture to make clear to Iran our determination to protect our forces and deter Iranian intervention.
My friends, we should/shouldn’t/should/shouldn’t talk to them, we really want everyone to push hard somehow. In the meantime, we will be more than happy to accept that Iran is 12% of OPEC where we get most of our oil from.
Level with the American People
Lie, deceive and con Americans into voting for me
John McCain believes it is essential to be honest with the American people about the opportunities and risks that lie ahead. The American people deserve the truth from their leaders. They deserve a candid assessment of the progress made in the last year, of the serious difficulties that remain, and of the grave consequences of a reckless and irresponsible withdrawal.
My friends, if I told you I wanted to send more troops to Iraq, some of whom may die or be seriously injured, so that a few of our campaign donors can make a massive profit from cheating the government out of billions of dollars you wouldn’t believe me. So I just had to make this stuff up.
Many Americans have given their lives so that America does not suffer the worst consequences of failure in Iraq. Doing the right thing in the heat of a political campaign is not always easy. But it is necessary.
Unfortunately, I’m just not smart enough to lie convincingly, so forgive me in advance.
John McCain on the Road Ahead
John McCain on the edge of a cliff
"I do not want to keep our troops in Iraq a minute longer than necessary to secure our interests there. Our goal is an Iraq that can stand on its own as a democratic ally and a responsible force for peace in its neighborhood. Our goal is an Iraq that no longer needs American troops. And I believe we can achieve that goal, perhaps sooner than many imagine. But I do not believe that anyone should make promises as a candidate for President that they cannot keep if elected. To promise a withdrawal of our forces from Iraq, regardless of the calamitous consequences to the Iraqi people, our most vital interests, and the future of the Middle East, is the height of irresponsibility. It is a failure of leadership. "
"To say we will pull out of Iraq before we have sucked all the oil out is ridiculous."
"I know the pain war causes. I understand the frustration caused by our mistakes in this war. And I regret sincerely the additional sacrifices imposed on the brave Americans who defend us. But I also know the toll a lost war takes on an army and on our country's security.
"I know how much it hurts to be in a war when you are incompetent."
By giving General Petraeus and the men and women he has the honor to command the time and support necessary to succeed in Iraq we have before us a hard road. But it is the right road. It is necessary and just.
Those of you who thought the 20,000 troops was a surge, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
Those who disregard the unmistakable progress we have made in the last year and the terrible consequences that would ensue were we to abandon our responsibilities in Iraq have chosen another road. It may appear to be the easier course of action, but it is a much more reckless one, and it does them no credit even if it gives them an advantage in the next election." –
My friends, if you really are stupid enough to fall for this bullshit, then I am sure you will be happy to vote for me in November. Since you are probably the only ones who will vote for me, please send me a postcard so I can drive round in my minivan and pick you all up to take you to vote.
John McCain
George Bush III