<p>Uh, is it just me or did McCain's already shaky argument for the superiority of his candidacy just get thrown under the bus -- by McCain himself?</p>
<p>YouTube</a> - Out by 2010? McCain Address Maliki's Withdrawal Timetable</p>
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[quote]
BLITZER: Why do you think [Maliki] said that 16 months is basically a pretty good timetable?</p>
<p>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.
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<p>McCain doesn't know what the hell he's doing anymore. What does he mean by "achieving victory"? That's why the New York Times rejected his lame op-ed.</p>
<p>McCain should hire a food taster, because the RNC might hire some unsavoury characters to "convince" McCain to step aside so they can run a non-senile candidate. Problem is, McCain's actually the best they've got!</p>
<p>^^^^</p>
<p>You know I've thought the Republican Party must be having real buyer's remorse right now, so it's funny you say that. But you're right about "the best they got." Still someone younger and more disciplined could've run a more credible campaign, IMO.</p>
<p>I'm not so sure if a younger more disciplined person could have ran a more credible campaign. What were their other options, Romney, Guiliani? Neither of them had a shot of being elected in the general election. Why, one is a Mormon (not that there is ANYTHING wrong with that, but this is America and people will be like Mormon-he has 10 wives?) and the other is hated by his own family and an adulterer (not so good for the Christian Right). Yeah, so, basically McCain is the "best they got".</p>
<p>If you think McCain is bad, look at the winners the left has nominated in the past 30 years.</p>
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He's not "embracing" it. McCain has stated in the past that a withdrawal timeline should be based on actual conditions on the ground, not contrived for domestic political reasons. And right now, with the current conditions, 16 months is reasonable.
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<p>That's massive spin and you know it. Just a few days ago, McCain equated Obama's Iraq plan (aka the 16 month withdrawal) with losing the war. And now, he wants to steal Obama's plan and take credit for it? If there's one thing McCain loves to do, it's taking credit for things others have done. For example, when Katie Couric nailed him on his claim that he's won wars before, he took credit for winning such conflicts as Kosovo and the Gulf War (umm no, that was Generals Clark and Schwarzkopf, respectively). And he tries to take credit for the surge and, bizarrely, for the Anbar Awakening, when the latter was instigated by the likes of Capt. Patriquin (RIP) and Col. McFarlane.</p>
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[quote]
But if conditions were to worsen, Obama would be airtight and cling to his 16 month plan, while McCain would actually reassess the timetable and try to actually pull out when the time is right.
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<p>That's a lie and you know it. Obama has ALWAYS stressed assessing the situation on the ground, while McCain has never expressed any urgency to leave Iraq, until now. The fact that McCain is deferring judgment to a man whose expertise and experience he severely criticized should effectively end his viability for president.</p>
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[quote]
If you think McCain is bad, look at the winners the left has nominated in the past 30 years.
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<p>Ah yes, since McCain looks so inconceivably inept every day, let's pretend he's running against George McGovern or Walter Mondale! Obama can't exist if we don't acknowledge him!</p>