If you live long enough, you’re liable to see anything. Today, we saw Sen. John McCain (R – AZ), who for the past 11 years has been the gold standard of hawkishness on the Afghan occupation, a tireless support of escalation upon escalation, finally raise the prospect of leaving.
“I think all options ought to be considered, including whether we have to just withdraw early, rather than have a continued bloodletting that won’t succeed,” McCain said in surprise comments today.
McCain’s comments reflect a growing weariness of the occupation, particularly as the growing number of green-on-blue attacks force the US to halt the training missions that for the past decade were supposed to be the ticket to victory.
Despite McCain’s shift, both President Barack Obama and his opponent in November, Mitt Romney, remain roughly identical in their positions on Afghanistan, which is to stay the course.
Finally, a sign of a break in this nightmare.
Run, Mc Cain, run or the Taliban may get you. This time you may not get so lucky. On the other hand, it's good for the US to stay the course: fools to the bitter end, lol.
Oh sweet lord. When the devil himself says as much you know somethings up.
McCain knows that whisl the US is in Afghanistan it cannot attack Iran, and whilst they are direct neibors Afghanistan is not a good supply base as it has its own problems for the US.
He may come up with all sorts of other excuses, Iran and only Iran is his current focus, even Syria relates to Iran as Syria is an Iranian Allied country and is on the flank of Turkey the main US supply route in an Attack on Iran.
McCain is drooling over the prospect of bigger nastier wars than this one.
maybe that 1/16 of the US debt is related to this occupation…
and they dont like the US anyhow
McCain just remembered to take his medication this morning. That is all.
I wonder…does Johnny Mac have a conscience? And is his age – and the realities of time and death – afford him the chance to come clean and speak truths, for a change. He's never really cared what others think and done pretty much as he pleased – except Sarah Palin…I'm convinced he was blackmailed into that stupendously stupid move. Could it come to pass that more earth-shattering truths might come from McCain? Truths that important and powerful people would prefer to not be made public? One can only hope.
No he's still the war hungry buffoon but you don't spend 30 years in DC without developing political survival instincts and he's shifting before he becomes 'stuck in the mud'.
What happened to commitment? Remember when McCain wanted to occupy Iraq for the next 100 years?
If you are my age, you will recall a similar program of training the locals to fight for the US in a place called Vietnam. The program was called "Vietnamization" and was pitched by President Johnson as a way to continue the war without suffering more American losses. Needless to say, the plan failed miserably.
probably cause hes so old and nearing the checkout line. LOL. hes still gonna burn in hell…
yeh, great idea. now take it back to 2002 when it might have mattered.
I guess if nobody can explain what is the purpose of staying, any time is a good time to leave. It does not look like US will make the country even minimally suitable for having a fewfortified bases, a those need supplying. And if the inhabitans of a base cannot set a foot outside without having to shoot their way to anything — what is the use of one anyway. The whole thing just looks like a giant money and people pit.
He is only saying that for political reasons. He is saying that the Obama adm. did such lousy job in its war effort that the best course for now is to withdraw from Afghanistan.
This warmonger is finally waking up. So why did all the poor us troops die? GET OUT OF ALL SOVERIGN NATIONS–NOW
Oh, but we can leave all these precious poppies. Whaaa Whaaa snivel snivel! We have soooooooo many addicts now we can't throw in the towel just yet. Our banks depend on this or we'll implode!!!
Whahaha!
McCain would give better advice first time if he wasn't McCain.
Oh, but we can leave all these precious poppies. Whaaa Whaaa snivel snivel! We have soooooooo many addicts now we can't throw in the towel just yet. Our banks depend on this or we'll implode!!!
McCain was a military man before he was a politician, and the military perspective is winning out. Militarily, it makes no sense to stay; the mission is to train our allies, but our “allies” our shooting us in the back. So they’re not our allies, and our troops have no mission there. Their mission now should be to try to get out alive.
Politics is all that’s keeping them there, the politicians don’t want to look soft. Chickenhawks, every one.