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July 23, 2008
Regarding McCain's Rejected Op-Ed
Ethel C. Fenig
After the NY Times rejected John McCain's op-ed the NY Post, a tabloid paper, printed it with the following explanation EDITORS' NOTE: The New York Times wouldn't print this oped from the GOP candidate.
But of course. John McCain disagrees with Barack Obama. John McCain disagrees with the NY Times. Therefore why bother acknowledging anything positive about John McCain?
The NY Times editor wanted John McCain to give an exact Iraqi pullout timetable. When he didn't comply the editor used this as one of his excuses not to publish the op-ed. More knowledgeable, more realistic, even more experienced about such matters than any NY Times editor--or Barack Obama, McCain clearly stated:
But I've also said that any draw-downs must be based on a realistic assessment of conditions on the ground - not on an artificial timetable crafted for domestic political reasons. This is the crux of my disagreement with Sen. Obama. (snip) During the course of eight visits to Iraq, I've heard many times from our troops what Major Gen. Jeffrey Hammond (commander of Coalition forces in Baghdad) recently said: Leaving based on a timetable would be "very dangerous."
As Barack Obama's photo op tour continues, as he stumbles answering Saturday Night Live lite questions about Iraq, a confident McCain concludes
I'm dismayed that he never talks about winning the war - only of ending it. But if we don't win the war, our enemies will - and a triumph for the terrorists would be a disaster for us.
As president, I won't let that happen. Instead, I'll continue implementing a proven counterinsurgency strategy not only in Iraq but also in Afghanistan with the goal of creating stable, secure, self-sustaining democratic allies.
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Comments
If Mr. McCain needs some fuel with which to start a conflagration under the nether regions of the NYT editors, and Mr. Obama, here is some from an unexpected source:
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=3&id=13396
[Asharq Al-Awsat] You have been close to the office of prime minister. Do you think you would have done a better job if you were prime minister?
[Abdel-Mahdi] No, not necessarily. There is no guarantee that I would have done better than others, and herein actually lies the sweetness of democracy, which enables you to choose the person you think is best suited for the times. It is not a matter of what an individual believes. I believe in institutional and team work and I do not believe that individual tendencies should prevail. Yes, there are personal tendencies and ambitions, but these should be controlled by institutional work and institutional rules, and the more these rules are respected, the better for the institutions and the people. This is true for everyone, not just for me. The more we put our faith in government institutions and play by the rules of team work, the better it will be for society and the more beneficial for the people and politicians.
"The Sweetness of Democracy" is a phrase that would never have entered an Iraqi´s mind let alone passed an Iraqi's lips a short 5 years ago! Let the MSM put that in their Kool-Aid!
Posted by: elixelx | July 23, 2008 10:32 AM
McCain survived being a POW to become close to being the most powerful man in the world.
I may be stretching the analogy some, but he should hang on and look ahead despite the solitary confinement he's getting from the press.
He still just might become the most powerful man in the world.
Posted by: Ron Kean | July 23, 2008 11:00 AM
I'll continue implementing a proven counterinsurgency strategy not only in Iraq but also in Afghanistan with the goal of creating stable, secure, self-sustaining democratic allies.
I'm guessing that the term "democratic" is the part the American left has a problem with.
RCJ
Posted by: Robert Johnson | July 23, 2008 01:28 PM
I read McCain's op-ed elsewhere, and I could not help but noticing the gratuitous slap he made at President Bush. McCain is having trouble slapping at Democrats. Doing the same to GOPers and Conservatives is not a problem for him. Hopefully, now that the liberals he loves have slapped him around, he'll reconsider his insults to the GOP and Conservatives.
As for the NYT, she's a Corner Girl with her skirt hitched up.
Posted by: Helen | July 23, 2008 01:41 PM