McCain Regrets Remarks to Press on Baghdad Safety, But 'That's Just Life'

[bigtree]

April 06, 2007

NEW YORK Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in a '60 Minutes' segment coming on Sunday says he misspoke in comments he made about security in Baghdad and acknowledged that heavily armed troops and helicopter gunships accompanied him when he visited a market there.

In two interviews before the Army took McCain and 60 Minutes on the heavily guarded visit to the al-Shorja market last Sunday, the senator said security had improved in Iraq. Upon his return, he also told a news conference he had just come back from a neighborhood one could walk around in freely.

The remarks made headlines and he now regrets saying them. "Of course I am going to misspeak and I've done it on numerous occasions and I probably will do it in the future," says McCain. "I regret that when I divert attention to something I said from my message, but you know, that's just life," he tells Pelley, adding, "I'm happy, frankly, with the way I operate, otherwise it would be a lot less fun."

He continues to maintain that the president's surge policy has improved safety in Baghdad. "I can understand why would provide me with that security, but I can tell you that if it had been two months ago and I'd asked to do it, they would have said, 'Under no circumstances whatsoever.' I view that as a sign of progress," says McCain.

Continuing America's military presence in Iraq has been a key position in McCain's presidential bid. He says he knows he is out of step with the rest of the country. "I believe we can succeed and I believe that the consequences of failure are catastrophic," he tells Pelley. "I disagree with what the majority of the American people want. Failure will lead to chaos, withdrawal will lead to chaos."

McCain has been critical of the way the war has been executed and has severely criticized former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld. In the interview Sunday, he lays some of the blame on the president, as well. "I say that is responsible and I'll continue to say he is responsible."


http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003568551


"life" and death:

"21 Shia market workers were ambushed, bound and shot dead north of the capital. The victims came from the Baghdad market visited the previous day by John McCain, the US presidential candidate, who said that an American security plan in the capital was starting to show signs of progress."

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1604931.ece


http://journals.democraticunderground.com/bigtree

[valerief]

1. Hey, McNumbskull, that's just death, too. nt

[bigtree]

3. wonder what he did to convince the military to let him go there

or what happened to change their policy? Are they just as guilty of risking soldiers and Iraqis for McCain's PR tour?

[valerief]

15. It's all a big show to those neocons. Soldiers are disposable to them. nt

[jimshoes]

2. McCain says,

I'm a liar and I'm OK with that. Pssst, hey Johnny, we have had six fucking years of steady lies.... we're sick of it already.

[Buttercup McToots]

5. Bastard!

all for politics...
Bastard:eyes:

[cascagraphic]

4. Hey, when you're a warmonger you don't care if you get people killed.

[dogday]

6. McCain regrets telling lies is really what it boils down to...

McCain regrets looking like a lying asshole... Well that is just McCain now is it not?

[petronius]

18. To pick a nit - I think you mean that McCain regrets 'being caught' telling lies

Which is a pretty high degree of integrity for Republicans these days - most of them think that objecting to their lies is a moral failure by the rest of us...

[Morgana LaFey]

7. Trying to dupe Americans --- that's just life, McCain Life.

Pfffft. Go to hell, McCain.

[wicket]

8. Spread jam on him, he's toast

I know it's cliche, but yeah, he's DONE.

[Poiuyt]

9. "I disagree with what the majority of the American people want."

There's a campaign slogan for you

[BearSquirrel2]

10. Mis-speak does not mean ....

Mis-speak does not mean inserting your need based political perspective for actual observations. McCain has hitched his political wagon to GW Bush and so he obligated to talk nice about anything Shrubbie does. The walk through the market place was a staged political event in a foreign country. If he was serious about "fact finding" he would have talked candidly with soldiers and asked them if they would leave the green zone without half their heavily armed squad.

Christ were things EVER this bad in Saigon????

[Lars39]

11. I hope at some point he will realize he is totally expendable to this admin.

Totally.

[IChing]

12. He doesn't remember that.

you know he is like this.

[Lars39]

14. Thanks for posting that; I'd missed that one. :^)

[HCE SuiGeneris]

13. Senility? Dementia? Alzheimer's?

There is definitely something amiss in John's brain. This man needs medical help and a thorough psychiatric evaluation.

[irish.lambchop]

16. McCain should

climb aboard his "Crazy Talk Express" and ride off into the sunset! How dare he put troops and Iraqi citizens in harm's way for a photo op - he's a disgrace!

[Hubert Flottz]

17. So go ahead and vote for another PROVEN liar like the one we

have now! And "Trust Him"

Edit...and Mitt got caught lying about all his years of hunting rodents and 4 legged bunnies.