At Tonight’s Debate, GOP Candidates Should Say If They Support Bush’s 50-Year Plan for Iraq

While the Democrats made clear in their debate that they stand with the American people in support of ending the war in Iraq, the Republican presidential candidates have stood firm with President Bush’s stay the course strategy. According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released today, 64 percent of Americans do not think that we are making progress toward restoring civil order in Iraq and 56 percent of Americans said in a USA Today/Gallup Poll today that the war was a mistake.

While all the candidates have sided with the Bush White House, they’ve all dodged and weaved trying to explain their unpopular position to the American people. However, an important question remains that should be asked and answered at tonight’s debate: Will they continue to stand by President Bush and his plan that “envisions a long-term U.S. troop presence in Iraq similar to the one in South Korea where American forces have helped keep an uneasy peace for more than 50 years?” [AP, 5/31/07]

LEADING 2008ers ON ENDING THE WAR

MITT ROMNEY: SURPRISE! MITT HAS MULTIPLE ANSWERS . . .WHEN HE EVEN BOTHERS TO TALK ABOUT IT

If Troop Surge Does Not Work We Will Know That in A "Five to Six Months," Not Years. In early February 2007, Mitt Romney told an Iowa audience that if the troop surge does not work, we will know that in a matter of months, not years, and we can adjust our strategy. [Associated Press, 2/9/2007] Later that month, Romney expressed his support for President Bushs plan to increase the U.S. troop presence in Iraq. We'll see how well that plan is working, he said of the proposed troop surge. It will probably play out over a matter of five to six months, or more. But it's months, not years. [Real Clear Politics, 2/26/07]

Romney Spokesman Now Says It Could Take 15 Months to Assess Success of Troop Surge. Mitt Romney has attempted to reconcile his support of President Bushs troop surge and resounding public opinion against the plan by arguing that, the time to evaluate the effects of the surge may come soon. "I think we're going to know whether this is working in a matter of months, not years," Romney has said on multiple occasions. However, when asked how many months Romney had in mind, Romney spokesman Kevin Madden said: "That will depend on input from the military commanders... It could be 15 months." [Los Angeles Times, 5/15/07]

Romney Doesn’t Even Talk About It, Shows "Spuerficial" Knowledge When Asked. "He never mentions Iraq in his stump speech... On a late-May New Hampshire swing, he cruised through two performances before the word Iraq perforated his balloon. And then it was a high school student, who simply asked, "What would you do about Iraq?" Romney offered a welter of details, of Sunnis and Shi'ites and Kurds, which sounded sort of knowledgeable but was actually quite superficial — he said there was a risk that Iran would "take over" the Shi'ite areas, which is entirely unlikely — until finally, heading into the home stretch, he got to the point: he would support the President. [Time.com, 5/31/07]

JOHN MCCAIN: FROM “END IN SIGHT” TO “A LONG, LONG TIME”

2003: McCain Said The End Is “Very Much In Sight.” Senator McCain was asked “At what point will America be able to say the war was won?" McCain said there were oil fields to secure and “die-hards” to take care of but “it's clear that the end is very much in sight, and today I think Americans should be very proud of their leadership, their technology…There are still some foreigners, Syrians and others hanging around. But it won't be long. It will be a fairly short period of time, but this happens in wars. I'm confident that once they are confident the area is no longer a threat to the Marines and to or army troops that they'll start imposing discipline. In the meantime, we'll have a short period of chaos.” [ABC News, Good Morning America, 4/9/03]

2005: McCain Said That Another Year Will Prove “Stay the Course” Is Working. “McCain believes that the U.S., and the cause of Iraqi independence, are moving forward in Iraq, a little bit at a time. ‘I think the situation on the ground is going to improve,’ he says. ‘Overall, I think a year from now, we will have made a fair amount of progress if we stay the course.’” [The Hill, 12/8/05]

2007: McCain Called For Long-Term Troop Presence In Iraq. “Most Americans should accept a long-term United States military presence in Iraq as long as the number of U.S. casualties can drop to almost nothing, Senator John McCain said…’We have had troops in South Korea for 60 years and nobody minds,’ McCain said. ‘If you stay a long, long time, but have the Iraqis doing the fighting, and your people are back in the bases and away from the firing line, I think Americans would be satisfied.’” [Des Moines Resister, 6/2/07]

RUDY GIULIANI: IF WE LEAVE THEY’LL KILL US ALL

Giuliani Mimics Bush Warnings Against Withdrawing From Iraq: “He warns even more starkly than Bush that withdrawing troops from Iraq could have disastrous consequences. “If you don't face your problems honestly, it's very, very dangerous in a world in which there are people who want to come here and kill you -- not only people that want to come here and kill you, but people who have come here and killed us,” Giuliani said.” [Boston Globe, 4/4/07]

Giuliani Says US Has Obligation To Stay In Iraq: Giuliani said, “'After defeating the enemy as we did in Iraq, after a sudden victory in deposing Saddam Hussein, we have a choice.’ It was clear, he said, that America had an obligation to stay.” [New York Times, 5/6/07]

FRED THOMPSON: DITTOHEAD

Thompson Would Do “What The President’s Doing.” Asked in March 2007 “What would you do now in Iraq?,” Thompson said “I would do essentially what the president's doing.” [Fox News Sunday, 3/11/07]