New McCain Gaffes on Iraq
Sen. John McCain didn't just get his cause-and-effect order wrong on the so-called surge strategy in Iraq, he also claimed in a CBS interview that the increased troop deployment and associated change in tactics protected a key Sunni sheik who helped lead the "Anbar Awakening." Problem? Said sheik was actually assassinated during the surge. Meanwhile, CBS is under fire for editing out these gaffes in its on-air presentation of the interview.Sen. John McCain didn’t just get his cause-and-effect order wrong on the so-called surge strategy in Iraq, he also claimed in his CBS interview that the increased troop deployment and associated change in tactics protected a key Sunni sheik who helped lead the “Anbar Awakening.” Problem? Said sheik was actually assassinated during the surge. Meanwhile, CBS is under fire for editing out these gaffes in its on-air presentation of the interview.
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Here’s what a CBS spokesperson is sending reporters who ask for an explanation:
As all news organizations do with extended interviews, last night’s Obama and McCain interviews were edited to fit the available time and to give viewers a fair expression of the candidates’ major differences. The full transcript and video were and still are available at cbsnews.com. Quite clearly, this doesn’t even begin to address the criticism. It doesn’t explain why the portion revealing McCain to have badly botched the surge timeline was edited from the piece — even though McCain on the surge is basically the cornerstone of his argument that he has better foreign policy judgment and seasoning than Obama does.
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The Islamic State was supposed to be reeling from U.S.-led airstrikes. Yet the group was able to capture Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, and is now consolidating control over that strategically important city.
A key overlooked fact about the much-ballyhooed "surge is working" argument in Iraq is that the U.S. military actually paid some former insurgents $10 a day to help American troops keep the peace in parts of the country. But what happens when that setup changes in volatile regions like Anbar?
President Bush capped off his administration's weeklong campaign to convince America that the "surge" is working with a televised address on Thursday. Nestled among assorted pseudo-announcements and stale slogans was a telling pitch from a president who has repeatedly revised his motive for war: "Our mission in Iraq will evolve."
The "What, me worry?" president paid a cheerful visit to U.S. troops in Iraq's Anbar province, an auspiciously timed trip (his third since the war began in 2003) that falls mere days before Congress is scheduled to hear Army Gen. David Petraeus' Iraq "progress" report. For another status report (read: reality check), follow this link.
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