President McCain’s First 100 days

[babylonsister]

President McCain’s First 100 days
By: BMiller224 Wednesday April 29, 2009 11:08 am

I didn't really want to write a "100 days" evaluation of Obama's Presidency, because it's an arbitrary time period to measure. So I thought what I would do instead is meditate deeply and tune in to that alternate-dimension Earth where John McCain won the Presidential election in 2008 and write a piece about President McCain's first 100 days.



A Maverick 100 Days for President McCain by mccainfanboy

John McCain's signature "maverick" style continues to be on display in his new role as President of the United States.For instance, announcing that he didn't intend to observe the status-of-forces agreement on withdrawing troops from Iraq and sharply escalating the air war has resulted in widening attacks on Americans from both Sunni and Shi'a fighters, critics charge. But the President insists the difficulties are temporary and that "defeating Al Qa'ida in Iraq is vital to American national security."

Emphasizing the centrality of the "war on terror" to his Presidency, McCain's plans to expand US forces in Afghanistan are putting increasing pressure on the Army and Marines. The drone strike in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad in early April that aimed to kill an alleged Al Qa'ida leader, but which Pakistani officials say killed 127 civilians instead, has put the country into an uproar and ended Pakistani cooperation for now against "Taliban" groups near the border with Afghanistan.

McCain continues to escalate threats against Iran, sometimes using near-apocalyptic rhetoric. Iran's diplomacy for the last several weeks indicates they expect major hostilities with the US in the near future. This is likely one of the reasons behind the escalating attacks by Shi'a militias and increasing disagreement between the US and the pro-Iranian, Shi'a-dominated regime in Baghdad.

His intransigence on the "enhanced interrogation" torture program has surprised his admirers in the press corps, who nevertheless continue to defend him on the issue. His refusal to released legal memoranda on the program and his adamant opposition to any formal investigation of any kind into the program have so far been effective. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has backed McCain on the issue, saying, "such an investigation would tear the country apart at a time where we need national unity because we have two wars and face a looming military threat from Iran."

US popularity in the Muslim world continues to sink to near-zero levels in some countries, due to the escalation of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, the intense military threats against Iran and the sometimes odd pronouncements from Vice President Palin about Biblical predictions of continual war in the Middle East.

McCain's demanding tone toward NATO allies, his continuation of the torture program and his perceived recklessness toward Iran have caused support for the Afghanistan War in Europe to crater during the first three months of his Presidency. NATO leaders in Europe are reported to be close to an agreement to withdraw all European troops from Afghanistan as soon as the end of 2009.

more... :scared:

http://oxdown.firedoglake.com/diary/5037

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. "The heart attack propelled Gov. Palin into the Presidency..."

[DS1]

2. Aside from mentioning that I won't respond to hypotheticals, I don't respond to them.

:hi:

[Bluzmann57]

3. Shudder.

Don't even think about that crap. I'm ready to eat supper and do not want it spoiled.