Thursday, August 18, 2005
Republican RhetIraq: Sen. McCain
Who: Senator John McCain (R-AZ)
Source: Fox News Sunday
Quotes: From transcript of interview with Chris Wallace;
WALLACE: First, military commanders, in fact, it was General Casey (search), the top military commander on the ground in Iraq, started talking about the real possibility of withdrawals by next spring. Then an unnamed military official, who apparently was General Casey, said: No, no, but we can get them out starting next summer.
Then the president at a news conference at the ranch in Texas this week said: You know what? I don't want to talk about drawdowns or deadlines at all. We've got to finish the job.
And then today there is a story in The Washington Post that talks about lowered expectations, that we can get out even if we don't have a lot of things accomplished.
Question: What's going on here?
MCCAIN: I don't know, because the president, I think, very appropriately made it very clear in the strongest terms that we are there until Iraqis are capable of carrying out their own security responsibilities. He could not have been more forceful or more clear, in my view.
And I totally agree with him, and I think his statement was unequivocal. And now you're seeing these statements, both before and after, which are in contradiction to what he had to say.
Look, I've got an idea for our pentagon planners: The day that I can land at the airport in Baghdad and ride in an unarmed car down the highway to the green zone is the day that I'll start considering withdrawals from Iraq. We not only don't need to withdraw, we need more troops there. And if we aren't able to get more troops there, which I've been advocating for years, as you know, then the Iraqi military, as they're trained up, should be a supplement to the American forces that are already there, not a replacement for.
WALLACE: But what I don't understand, you seem to be suggesting -- and I don't want to put words in your mouth. You seem to be suggesting that it's coming from the pentagon, and that they are pushing for withdrawals, when the political people at the White House, who you think would be the most sensitive on that issue, are saying: No, the president -- we're going to stand firm.
Why would the Pentagon be softer in this regard than the White House?
MCCAIN: I have no idea, unless there's also some political considerations of the '06 election amongst some. But it's very clear that the president of the United States is not worried about that.
The president of the United States has said it absolutely, unequivocally. And it should be disturbing to hear these leaks both before and after very strong statements on his part.
Source: Fox News Sunday
Quotes: From transcript of interview with Chris Wallace;
WALLACE: First, military commanders, in fact, it was General Casey (search), the top military commander on the ground in Iraq, started talking about the real possibility of withdrawals by next spring. Then an unnamed military official, who apparently was General Casey, said: No, no, but we can get them out starting next summer.
Then the president at a news conference at the ranch in Texas this week said: You know what? I don't want to talk about drawdowns or deadlines at all. We've got to finish the job.
And then today there is a story in The Washington Post that talks about lowered expectations, that we can get out even if we don't have a lot of things accomplished.
Question: What's going on here?
MCCAIN: I don't know, because the president, I think, very appropriately made it very clear in the strongest terms that we are there until Iraqis are capable of carrying out their own security responsibilities. He could not have been more forceful or more clear, in my view.
And I totally agree with him, and I think his statement was unequivocal. And now you're seeing these statements, both before and after, which are in contradiction to what he had to say.
Look, I've got an idea for our pentagon planners: The day that I can land at the airport in Baghdad and ride in an unarmed car down the highway to the green zone is the day that I'll start considering withdrawals from Iraq. We not only don't need to withdraw, we need more troops there. And if we aren't able to get more troops there, which I've been advocating for years, as you know, then the Iraqi military, as they're trained up, should be a supplement to the American forces that are already there, not a replacement for.
WALLACE: But what I don't understand, you seem to be suggesting -- and I don't want to put words in your mouth. You seem to be suggesting that it's coming from the pentagon, and that they are pushing for withdrawals, when the political people at the White House, who you think would be the most sensitive on that issue, are saying: No, the president -- we're going to stand firm.
Why would the Pentagon be softer in this regard than the White House?
MCCAIN: I have no idea, unless there's also some political considerations of the '06 election amongst some. But it's very clear that the president of the United States is not worried about that.
The president of the United States has said it absolutely, unequivocally. And it should be disturbing to hear these leaks both before and after very strong statements on his part.
