McCain On Iraq War: “I have no Plan B”
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, WarHey, it’s better than lying and say you do have an alternative plan, but respectfully then Mr. McCain…you have no business holding the office of Commander in Chief. You can run all you want, but you shouldn’t win.
WASHINGTON, April 13 � Senator John McCain said that the buildup of American forces in Iraq represented the only viable option to avoid failure in Iraq and that he had yet to identify an effective fallback if the current strategy failed.“I have no Plan B,� Mr. McCain said in an interview. “If I saw that doomsday scenario evolving, then I would try to come up with one. But I cannot give you a good alternative because if I had a good alternative, maybe we could consider it now.� [...]
Mr. McCain methodically dismissed as unrealistic every other plan that had been proposed by Democrats as a substitute for President Bush’s strategy, including those from Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware and Barack Obama of Illinois.
He said that if the Bush administration’s plan had not produced visible signs of progress by the time a McCain presidency began, he might be forced � if only by the will of public opinion � to end American involvement in Iraq.
A President needs to be curious. We’ve seen what can happen when he is not. McCain better start getting a lot more curious because he’s not going to win the nomination with this stuff.
You can click below to hear excerpts from his interview with the NY Times.
This entry was posted on Saturday, April 14th, 2007 and is filed under 2008 Election, War. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
April 15th, 2007 at 12:36 am
When fighting evil, the president (and the country) need to be steadfast, not curious.
April 15th, 2007 at 11:50 am
[...] Simon at Stubborn Facts examines Rudy’s position? on abortion and Roe, while Justin Garnder at Donklephant questions McCain’s lack of a “Plan B” on Iraq. [...]
April 15th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
At least he isn’t a armchair analyst thinking that withdrawing behind our borders will somehow magically get us out of trouble, like Justin here.
April 15th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Amen, Stevend. Unlike some armchair analysts, he isn’t dumb enough to think that withdrawing behind our borders will magically make everything safer. Only idiots think that.
Winning in Iraq is our only option. And the stupid monkey business that the Democrats are playing are just reminding everyone of the great old days of the Jimmy Carter Presidency and his cowering from killer rabbits.
April 15th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
SaneinSF and Stevend, I appreciate your praise of steadfastness and I agree with you (and Senator McCain) that at this point there are no other good options but to see things through. At the same time, your comments suggest a dismissive condemnation of intellectual curiosity that goes beyond a desire to see the war through. Having a broader scope of intellectual inquiry is, aside from its inherent value, a way to advance our national interest in ways that don’t necessarily involve hundreds of thousands of our troops committed to a dangerous and grueling war.
April 16th, 2007 at 7:41 am
One more reason why I wouldn’t vote for McCain now, even though a few years back I would definitely have considered him.
April 16th, 2007 at 11:23 am
The problem is winning in Iraq became impossible a few years back due to utter incompetence at the helm. The only thing possible now is damage control…and our presence incites far more violence than it prevents.
April 17th, 2007 at 11:23 am
Having firm convictions does not mean you lack intelligence or imagination. The mind is like a parachute, it’s been said: It only works when it’s open. But if you can’t close it and fold it up, you can’t use it twice.
On September 11th a message was sent to the American people: you will obey us and take our dictates or you will face violence. We do not recognize your right to determine your own leadership, your own policies. We have a veto.
President Bush’s response was not only reasonable, it came almost too late and, when it came, it wasn’t vigorous enough. That’s his fault as Commander-in-chief. But this war can and must be won. The US has soldiers on either side of Iran and is ready for the next phase. What is unrealistic is the idea that there’s an undo button here.
Plan Bs are great… as long as they don’t include giving up in the middle of a war. I was in cadets once. I had to run around a huge field with a rifle over my head. I gave in to weakness and let it slip. Believe me, once you let it slip, you may never get it up again. Ignoring Patton was bad enough, falling short in Korea worse, failing in Vietnam a tragedy, ‘91 a stupid blunder (not to take out Saddam): this war might be America’s last stand.
Don’t believe me? Look at the history books. The Assyrians fell in a flash from the height of power over the succession. Now think 2000. Are there really two Americas? There better not be. I don’t relish another dark ages. It was announced in a mosque in Karachi that cell phone calls can make your ears and nose bleed, like in a horror movie. Think about that!
April 17th, 2007 at 11:30 am
By the way, what’s wrong with two bloody factions of the enemy killing one another?
April 17th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Hold on a sec. I’m sick of McCain, but you’re being unfair.
Plan A is to try to throw in some extra troops (as many as is politically possible) to try to keep things reasonably secure, to give the Iraqi politicians a bit of time, while at the same time telling them that this is it - our last ditch effort.
McCain doesn’t have a plan B because there is no such thing as a Plan B that anyone would go along with - except to pack up and go home, and let things go to shit.
Plan A is the only possible plan - the only decision now is how much time we give it before packing up and calling it a day. I don’t know what the chances of it are working, but it’s the only chance we have.
April 19th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Why pack up? Why not dig in? Why not establish and defend a Kurdistan? Why not force the Iranians to disarm? Why not park right there like they parked in West Germany? Hmmm?