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babylonsister

(170,960 posts)
Fri Jun 13, 2014, 10:25 AM Jun 2014

Sam Stein Confronts McCain: Does ‘Victory’ in Iraq Mean Endless War?

McCain is one bloviating, condescending POS...


HuffPost Reporter Confronts McCain: Does ‘Victory’ in Iraq Mean Endless War?
by Andrew Kirell | 9:33 am, June 13th, 2014


Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Huffington Post reporter Sam Stein had a rather testy exchange Friday on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

“I just want to nail down what it means to have it won,” Stein told the senator at the start of his question. “When we were debating the war {in Iraq}, I thought the idea was that we would put up an Iraqi government that would be self-sufficient and an Iraqi military that could protect. We spent $25 billion propping up the military, and it folds, even despite having much greater numbers than ISIS.

“So I’m curious: What is the definition of victory? What is the definition of winning? Does it mean having a residual force basically without end date? I’m just a little bit confused. I want to know what victory is to you.”

The senator wasted no time snapping back, hammering Stein for his “confusion”:

I think you are confused because you didn’t know what happened with the surge where we basically had the country pacified. We had a stable government in Baghdad, and we had the conflict basically — for all intents and purposes — won. We still got troops in Bosnia, a residual force would have stabilized the country. Most military experts will tell you that. So I’m sorry about your confusion, but the facts on the ground were that al Qaeda had been defeated almost completely and with the residual American force and at that time, a strong Iraq. Now, {Iraqi PM Nouri} al-Maliki is very weak. Maliki got worse after we left. And again, I knew this was going to happen, because we didn’t leave that force behind. And so I’m sorry about your confusion, but anybody who was there will tell you we had the conflict won.


“I guess I shouldn’t myself be confused, because it would be used against me,” Stein remarked. He then pressed once more: “What is the end date for our forces in Iraq? Is it open-ended? And if that’s the case, because we need to have a residual force there to prop up the Iraq government indefinitely, is that how you see it?”

In return, McCain cited residual American troops stationed in Germany, Japan, Korea, and Bosnia as having successfully stabilized regions American forces have previously occupied.

Watch the exchange below, via MSNBC (at link)...

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/huffpost-reporter-confronts-mccain-does-victory-in-iraq-mean-endless-war/
16 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Thinkingabout

(30,058 posts)
2. McCain never accepted any responsibility on Bush's part in invading Iraq in the first place.
Fri Jun 13, 2014, 10:31 AM
Jun 2014

He would have us in Iran, Syria, Ukraine and Iraq and would be signing the US up in every place in the world. Here is a GOP party who is not taking care of the needs of our veterans but willing to send troops everywhere and claim to support the troops. They vote down assistance to our veterans but think money is not an object to start and maintain wars over the world. They have to stop this crazy stand. Support the veterans and rebuild our nation and if there are two nickels to rub together afterwards then just target practice for possible defense of this nation.

liberal N proud

(60,298 posts)
3. IF we had the conflict won, it was time to leave
Fri Jun 13, 2014, 10:35 AM
Jun 2014

And IF we had the conflict won, the current violence shouldn't have happened.

IF we had the conflict won, there is no reason to attack Obama for Iraq.

So McCain needs to STFU and go home.




MinM

(2,650 posts)
12. MSNBC: McCain Pushes for Airstrikes in Iraq
Thu Jun 19, 2014, 12:32 PM
Jun 2014
Jeffrey Levin @jilevin: MSNBC: McCain Pushes for Airstrikes in Iraq http://nbcnews.to/UhfIby #p2 #topprog

You can't spell McCain without MIC.

Octafish

(55,745 posts)
14. DUer Bill Kelly adds to what we know about communicating stuff...
Thu Jun 19, 2014, 01:35 PM
Jun 2014
Jack Valenti Memo to LBJ on AF1 Transcript

PS: Thanks for the heads-up on McCain's latest grope of death. Guy's like addicted.

MinM

(2,650 posts)
15. The Soaring Profits of the MIC
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 11:19 AM
Jun 2014
War Profits

The power and influence of the military-industrial complex in promoting serial wars has resulted in extraordinary rates of profit. According to a recent study by Morgan Stanley (cited in Barron’s, 6/9/14, p. 19), shares in the major US arms manufacturers have risen 27,699% over the past fifty years versus 6,777% for the broader market. In the past three years alone, Raytheon has returned 124%, Northrup Grumman 114% and Lockheed Martin 149% to their investors...

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-soaring-profits-of-the-military-industrial-complex-the-soaring-costs-of-military-casualties/5388393

Octafish

(55,745 posts)
16. If this was a just world, everyone would know this.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 01:16 PM
Jun 2014

Please, if you have a moment, turn that into an OP.
There is no more important message for our democracy.

Thank you for the heads-up, MinM.

malaise

(267,791 posts)
8. Someone should have simply asked McBlood
Fri Jun 13, 2014, 11:02 AM
Jun 2014

about this

http://www.salon.com/2011/10/21/about_that_iraq_withdrawal/
<snip>
First, the troop withdrawal is required by an agreement which George W. Bush negotiated and entered into with Iraq and which was ratified by the Iraqi Parliament prior to Obama’s inauguration. Let’s listen to the White House itself today: “’This deal was cut by the Bush administration, the agreement was always that at end of the year we would leave. . . .’ an administration official said.” As I said, it’s a good thing that this agreement is being adhered to, and one can reasonably argue that Obama’s campaign advocacy for the war’s end influenced the making of that agreement, but the Year End 2011 withdrawal date was agreed to by the Bush administration and codified by them in a binding agreement.

 

lonestarnot

(77,097 posts)
11. Lumpy is not satisfied with the number of lumps he currently has. Greedy about them apparently.
Fri Jun 13, 2014, 12:08 PM
Jun 2014

JaneQPublic

(7,113 posts)
10. Keep in mind McCain has also said we left VietNam too soon.
Fri Jun 13, 2014, 12:07 PM
Jun 2014

He's said we coulda won it if we hadn't pulled out so soon.

The geezer has never seen an overseas conflict that didn't call for U.S. military intervention and he has never seen a U.S. war that should be ended.

jwirr

(39,215 posts)
13. Johnny, forced pacification is not surrender. It is lasting - when the cats away the mice will play.
Thu Jun 19, 2014, 12:38 PM
Jun 2014

If that is your definition of a win than you are definitely looking at the short term. You are also ignoring the religious strife that is fueling all of this.

Of course since your rethugs are only interested in the oil your true definition is suppressing the population until we have taken all the oil.

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