McCain's Iraq Record Doesn't Match His Rhetoric
A new video released today by the Democratic National Committee shows John McCain's real record on Iraq. In the run up to the war, John McCain parroted the Bush Administration's misleading rhetoric. Just like President Bush, McCain said the war would be easy and that we'd be greeted as liberators. Only in the throws of the presidential campaign did he try to have it both ways by complaining that the American people "were led to believe this could be some kind of day at the beach." John McCain never admits that, just like President Bush, he said victory would be easy.
Now, McCain says we'll be there for 100 years, but refuses to say how he plans to pay for it--even as he panders to the right wing of the Republican Party by promising to extend the fiscally reckless tax cuts he once opposed.
"The more Americans learn about John McCain's real record on Iraq the more they'll realize he'd following the same failed course as President Bush," said DNC spokesman Damien LaVera. "A staunch supporter of the failed Bush policies from Day One, the truth is John McCain was part of the right-wing chorus that claimed victory in Iraq would be easy. He was wrong then and he's wrong now."
Script of Video:
"Day at the Beach"
http://youtube.com/watch?v=h-a5T0HsJpw
August 2006: "We had not told the American people how tough and difficult this could be. It has contributed enormously to the frustration that Americans feel today because they were led to believe this could be some kind of day at the beach." [McCain in Columbus Ohio, Press Conference, aired on CNN, 8/22/2006, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14475828/ ]
McCain: "And I believe that the success will be fairly easy." [CNN, Larry King Live, 9/24/02]
2007: Russert: "Go back, Senator, to 2002 - the administration saying we'd be greeted as liberators." [MSNBC, 1/10/2007]
2003: McCain: "There's no doubt in my mind that once these people are gone that we will be welcomed as liberators." [MSNBC, Hardball, 3/24/03]
McCain: "I believe that we can win an overwhelming victory in a very short period of time." [CNN Late Edition, 9/29/02]
Questioner: President Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq for fifty years."
McCain: "Make it a hundred… That would be fine with me, I hope it would be fine with you." [McCain Town hall in Derry, NH, 1/3/08]
2002: "We're not going get into house-to-house fighting in Baghdad" [CNN Late Edition, 9/29/02]
2003: "It doesn't take a large number of people to cause difficulties in house to house fighting we've just seeing right now in southern Iraq." [MSNBC, 3/24/03]
"We have not told the American people how touch and difficult this task would be… they were led to believe this could be some kind of day at the beach." [CNN, 8/22/2006]
