On this one, we'll agree with McCain. He wasn't accusing Obama of being unpatriotic. He was accusing him of treason.

O Greggy - you just keep talking dirty to me! LOL!

McLame is officially over into Delusion Land. He doesn't know anymore if up is down, red is black, he's ancient or an infant...

McCain's logic is about as bad as his comb-over

John McCain has lost it. Officially. His only chance to win was if people saw him as a reasonable, honorable, likable man who was different from Bush. He's coming off as angry and demented with a one-note campaign that's even narrower than you thought--- SURGE, SURGE, SURGE!

Obama is never going to "admit" that the surge worked because he sees how much it drives McCain crazy--and he doesn't have the temperament to conceal that. He looks very un-presidential!

Time for McSame to resurrect the green background and shit-eating grin.
That was the high-water mark of his campaign.

Denial is a river that runs into McCain's brain.

It's sad, very sad. This guy is such a mess, how is it possible that more Americans don't pick up on this? They probably won't mention a thing on the national news stations. Are people who are for McSurge either happy with the way things are going or racists, or hard-core ignorant repuglicans? How can the polls remain close?

I can't wait to see next week's polls. If anyone ever wondered what an implosion looked like, this is it.

McCain has absolutely lost it. I never realized what a gibbering idiot he is.

The Lead:

John McCain called the Iraqi Prime Minister a liar!

McCain's latest campaign strategy, "Say the first thing that comes into your mind..."

Meanwhile, today's polls show Obama up 5-6 points. And that includes the right-wing Rasmussen poll. Probably the first of many polls to reflect the overseas trip. Of course the MSM is still salivating over the Quinnipiac (sorry, sp?) polls from earlier in the week, trying desperately to show that the race is closer than it really is. The really are no electoral vote projections that show McCain ahead or even all that close.

Thanks, we need to let everyone know that all Texans aren't ignorant. Shrub has just given the state a bad name.

I don't really think he's doing it intentionally, but i do think the sympathy voters are there.

OT, but OOooooo - one of the friends who stayed with me last week sent me "Goodnight Bush" as a thank you gift.

:)

I can't wait to watch the whole interview, but he sure sounded like we are an occupying power.

I am not sure but isn't it true that if the Maliki government asks us to leave we freedom loving Americans don't get to decide when the conditions on the ground are right.

Sorry but all those folks who think McCain is the safe choice must not realize that McCain has lost his mind.

According to this from First Read, McCain actually agreed to the sixteen month timetable:

BLITZER: So why do you think he said that 16 months is basically a pretty good timetable?

MCCAIN: He said it's a pretty good timetable based on conditions on the ground. I think it's a pretty good timetable, as we should -- or horizons for withdrawal. But they have to be based on conditions on the ground.

I am not sure if any poster hit on this but when McCain says, "he knows the man, he's been to Iraq eight times, he knows the man!" about Al Maliki, doesn't any reporter just beg to call Al Maliki up and here what he has to say about him and Sen McCain's apperent relationship. I am sure Al Maliki can speak for himself but McCain says "he knows the man" so I guess there is really no need to ask Al Maliki. I believe it would be preposperous(?) to think that a leader of a sovereign nation have his words characterized by a congressman from another nation. Would it not be quite great of a Al Maliki was to reply to this assertion by Sen McCain, that he does not know him well, but rather he knows his people well and the members of the Iraqi parliament who are working so very hard to bring their country back together. I thin he knows what is in the best interest of a sovereign Iraq or at least better than many of the people Americans call politicians!

Hey, what happened to "conditions on the ground" and "victory" (which he hasn't defined yet).

McCain: Flip-flopper first.

Last week I didn't think the time was right for an Iraq attack ad on McCain. The timing was wrong and would detract from the world tour

Next week, I expect that Obama will want to focus on the economy and, of course, on August 8th the Olympics begin (large national ad buy and reduced voter attention).

I guess we'll have to wait for the Convention to launch a large scale Irak attack but I sure wish it were otherwise

My reaction to seeing this:

* ahem *

AAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's what I don't get:

Perhaps McLame can explain why The Surge was needed, if the Baghdad market was safe enough for him to stroll through it when he was there some time before The Surge.

Another thing... he "knows" Maliki so well. Is that kind of like how Georgie looked into the eyes and soul of Putin and declared him trustworthy? How'd that work out?

Exactly or all the Bush cronies that have failed so miserably in their post. John McCain is trying to ride the "just trust me" express train while his voting record and much of his conservative record has been based on believing that the government to often gets in the way of Americans progress.

Look their are two candidates running for president, one believes that the government can be an agent of change in peoples lives while also respecting our bill of rights, the second believes that the government interferes in business and many Americans lives which causes them less progress wile also arguing on an aggressive foreign diplomacy (military action on the table) and restrictive rights imposed on our nations citizens in order to provide them security and safety! How can people in America truly elect a candidate who does not believe in much of what we have some to know as the American system of government while also demanding that our government give endless amounts of support to our national defense through soldiers/bodies and technology? I believe John McCain like BUsh sees the military as a necessary tool to protect the position of power America holds in the war. This is where he is wrong and this is why his vision and that of many of the neo-cons is an end-game at the expense of our country and its people.

If Barack Obama ever gets in a debate with him I hope he asks him simple questions such as how do the different ethnic groups within Iraq affect the security and safety of the country and thus our dealing with it? I have a feeling Obama could make John McCain look real stupid and then half of America might see this as picking on him, thus giving McCain sympathy points, but I am cynic and until November.

John McCain reveals he can never achieve statesmanship. This snivelling jealousy is not going to win this election for him.

As for polls, *yawn*. Look where people are betting real money, and it's been hovering between 64% - 65% since Sen Clinton stopped talking (that's all I'm willing to offer as "fact" on that front).

The complaints from the talking GOP heads are so highschool yearbook it would be comical but for the as-yet unaccounted for loss of innocent life.

I hope he gets into a good old fashioned tizzy, a real breakdown, with spittle. I hope he is pushed over the edge, and we're all told to go fuck ourselves.

Obama actually struggles bigtime unless he is reading a prepared speach. McCain will eat him alive. Funny people on this blog are talking about Bush being a Cokehead. Well so is Obama. They were both doing blow while McCain was a Prisoner of War.

McCain is a typical Republican jingoist scum.

Forget about "maverick" whatever.

He's the same old GOP cretin you've seen for the last 20 years. They want to lock everyone up, torture people, bomb the hell out of their numerous "enemies", and hound minority groups into submission -- all in the name of, get this, "freedom".

I think everyone is missing the importance of what is going on here. This argument is for the independent pro-security voter. McCain is basically arguing a fact (surge has basically worked) against a hypothetical that can't be disproven (no surge would've meant failure).

The Obama campaign needs to be exceedingly careful here and keep on bringing back the discussion to Afgahnistan. Noting that McCain can't send 3 brigades to Kabul w/o a draw-down in Iraq would be a start. Regardless of how its done, the time for a concerted pushback is now, or McCain will have succeeded in framing the campaign from here on out. Oh, and the time to be presidential and above it all is when your president. I think it would be better for Obama to not call McCain's statements as "unfortunate," but to remind voters of McCain's poor real-time judgment when it came to the initial invasion. Time to take the gloves off and knock McCain back on his heels a bit.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I appreciate seeing the comments above #11-#13 by the Osama supporters admitting that the surge worked brilliantly. We all know you know but having it in print to paste to some of the other sites will be fun! Thanks again!

Finally, Hero McCain is no longer going easy on the inexperienced empty suit Osama and is telling it like it is. Osama gives new meaning to the word Dimocrap in his inability to apply sound judgement in matters of running a daycare center much less a country.

:)

Hello all! First time poster, but I have been doing a lot of reading. I just have a few questions: Why when Sen. Mccain says he knows how to win wars, doesn't somebody ask him how many has he won? Why does the media keep letting him get away with taking credit for Sen. Obama's ideas? And are any of you really going to vote for Obama?

What happened to McCain's, "timetables are a signal to the enemy", timetables are the buzzword for withdrawal", timetables are surrender", "timetables are waving the white flag which will bring chaos and genocide", timetables will ensure the cost of American blood and treasure will be dramatically higher."

Oh how the timetables have turned.

Like the issues of focusing more on war in Afghanistan or holding the Pakistan government accountable or talking with our enemies such as Iran, McCain constantly attacked Obama on these policies, only to come around to Obama's way of thinking.

Obama is leading. McCain is following.

Hello Obama Fans,

This might not be the right thread, but let me ask anyway - has anyone here read Juan Cole's Salon article about why Obama is wrong about favoring additional troops to Afghanistan?

Basically, he said if Obama wanted to find out what's in store with that, ask some older Russian generals....

I would wager that most everyone here is an avid Cole follower when it comes to disagreeing with Bush's Iraq policy (me included), but I'm curious as to whether anyone here can handle criticism from such a knowledgeable source....

George

I meant to start the last post with

"I've never yet seen a president who didn't start changing some policy that he campaigned on, because as a candidate you don't know all of it."

from the previous post, but I keep forgetting that you can't use carats here...

George

What is such an enduring mystery to me is that our real problem with terrorism isn't in Afghanistan, isn't confined to Pakistan - it is Saudi Arabia and we never ever even so much as say it out loud.

We all know it - 18 of the 19 men who started all this were Saudis. Bin Laden is a Saudi. The Wahabists are Saudis, by and large.

No, our real problem is that we all love to drive. If alternative energy research were a bigger priority, we could leave the Middle East and stop giving reasons for people to dislike us.

Then whatever problems remain could be taken up by the world community, which we are only a part of. I think cooperation with the world is part of Obama's message regarding a reason for his trip. That's why I object to his saber rattling regarding Afghanistan. I don't think after all this time there are any hidden facts that only 'the government' knows. Probably Juan Cole knows as much as anybody, if not more.

By the way, much as I generally disdain him, the energy independence thought is strongly urged also by Sir Thomas Friedman of the NY Times.

George