McCain goes for a leisurely stroll in Baghdad

April 2, 2007

Sen. [tag]John McCain[/tag] (R-Ariz.) obviously thinks Americans are idiots. There’s no other explanation for his recent foolishness on Iraq, topped off yesterday by a fascinating [tag]shopping[/tag] trip to a [tag]Baghdad[/tag] market.

As you probably recall, a week ago McCain appeared on Bill Bennett’s radio program, toeing the right-wing line on “progress” in Iraq. “There are neighborhoods in Baghdad where you and I could walk through those neighborhoods today,” McCain told Bennett. “The U.S. is beginning to succeed in Iraq.” The next day, McCain went even further, claiming that General Petraeus travels in Baghdad “almost every day in a non-armed Humvee.”

The claims weren’t just false, they were demonstrably ridiculous. But a funny thing happens to a liar when he’s caught — he has to keep scrambling to keep the lie alive.

At a press conference in the heavily-guarded Green Zone yesterday, McCain bragged about having just strolled through a Baghdad market for an hour. It was proof he said, that an American could “walk freely” in some areas of the city, just as he said last week.

TP has a clip from NBC News of exactly what “walking freely” means in Baghdad right now.

NBC’s Nightly News provided further details about McCain’s one-hour guided tour. He was accompanied by “100 American soldiers, with three Blackhawk helicopters, and two Apache gunships overhead.” Still photographs provided by the military to NBC News seemed to show McCain wearing a bulletproof vest during his visit.

Funny, McCain didn’t mention the 100 American soldiers, three Blackhawk helicopters, and two Apache gunships when he talked about how safe it was. It must have slipped his mind.

Of course, as any reasonable person could see, McCain set out to prove a point and ultimately proved the opposite. If the only way for an American to walk around Baghdad safely is to wear a bullet-proof vest, surrounded a massive military support network, then it still isn’t safe. McCain’s stupid stunt only served to prove how right his critics are.

And for McCain to argue, with a straight face, that his little shopping excursion proves his point about safety suggests he’s clearly gone over the credibility cliff. He apparently plans to lie shamelessly from now on. His opinion of Americans, and his respect for our intelligence, is just that low.

For that matter, as Newsweek noted, “It didn’t take the insurgents long to send their reply. Less then 30 minutes after McCain wrapped up, a barrage of half a dozen mortars peppered the boundaries of the Green Zone, where the senators held their press conference.”

Worse, around the same time as McCain’s heavily-guarded shopping spree, a market northeast of Baghdad was bombed, killing two.

And one last random thought: exactly how much did McCain’s stroll cost? How many resources had to be spent in order to provide support for the senator to foolishly try and prove some point? Was there, perhaps, a better use of 100 American soldiers, three Blackhawk helicopters, and two Apache gunships at that time, or are political photo-ops now part of the military’s mission?

One question is how many died from the lack of military support so John McCain could try to save his presidential aspirations?

  • “In other news today, two Iraqi civilians were killed and countless others wounded when the contingent of American soldiers and gunships were reassigned from their designated patrol area, allowing insurgents to move closer to their ultimate goal of victory in Iraq.”

    Does this mean that John McCain is openly aiding the insurgency? Is he getting in bed with the terrorists? We’ll have further details as they become available….

  • Graham: “I bought five rugs for five bucks”.

    Is that right, you miserable prick? Does the “five bucks” include the price WE paid to protect you?

    As for McCain, thanks old man – maybe in your case, now that it’s obvious to all except the most low IQ Americans that you are a complete liar, and that you’ll never be president, maybe THAT was worth the tax dollars we spent protecting YOUR sorry ass.

  • Headline:

    McCain’s foolish politically-motivated stunt wastes tax-payer money, endangers troops

  • Funny – I heard about this yesterday on the radio. But all they mentioned was that he walked around Baghdad after getting criticism last week for saying Baghdad was safe and that he criticized the media for not giving the positive news. It wasn’t a wingnut station – it was CBS radio. In the world of soundbites and 15 second news blurbs, they don’t have the time or the interest to give context or details. So I guess it’s “Mission Accomplished” – he plays the MSM like a fiddle.

  • When I saw that on the news last night, I just knew you’d be all over that this a.m. Excellent post, Steve. Imagine McCain thinking that he could get away with that. He is he idiot.

  • If anyone doesn’t think this guy is completely off his rocker, they are just as nuts as he is. Who in the military agreed to help him pull this little stunt off? They should be court martialed for participating in a publicity stunt rather than doing what they are supposed to be doing.

  • CBS Radio? The same whacko broadcast entity that brought us the continuing “sounds of Victory” from Viet Nam? The only thing less anti-war in the ’60s than CBS Radio was Armed Forces Radio….

  • Kudos to the NBC news team for pointing out the obvious to the oblivious.

    And geez, I haven’t seen someone who was as respected as McCain fall this far this fast since… hell, ever.

    I wonder what McJoker’s reaction would have looked like if a car had backfired while he was taking his “safe” little stroll. Probably would have pissed his pants.

  • Funny, McCain didn’t mention the 100 American soldiers, three Blackhawk helicopters, and two Apache gunships when he talked about how safe it was. It must have slipped his mind.

    You’re assuming a fact not in evidence: to wit, that McCain has a mind.

    And one last random thought: exactly how much did McCain’s stroll cost? How many resources had to be spent in order to provide support for the senator to foolishly try and prove some point? Was there, perhaps, a better use of 100 American soldiers, three Blackhawk helicopters, and two Apache gunships at that time, or are political photo-ops now part of the military’s mission?

    Since Republicans are constitutionally opposed to fraud, waste and abuse in government, we should follow up with Senator Ramp-Strike/Third Generation Loses It as when he intends to begin an investigation of this egregious misues of limited military resources.

  • How much money did this photo op cost the American taxpayer for McCain to make a campaign stop in Iraq? Will his campaign be reimbursing the expense?
    Wanna impress me? Go out with the same amount of security, provided by the Iraqi Army.Then tell me how safe it is… If you live. Political theater at it’s republicunt finest.
    It appears that “walking freely” is defined as 100 soldiers, 3 Blackhawk helicopters, 2 Apache Gunships and 1 bulletproof vest. I guess he didn’t need a helmet because he has shit for brains.
    Now, McCain is now a known streetwalker; the only question remaining is his price.

  • Anyway the US Army can send the bill for this dog-and-pony show to McCain’s campaign?

  • McCanine is toast. It would be nice, though, to see Senator prissypants Lindsayanything Grahamcracker get get smeared up a bit with this.

  • i saw an interesting comment somewhere a few weeks ago (maybe even in this very space!): when mccain was a pow, he clearly had to rely upon a very strong sense of will in order to endure his ordeal. in short, it was a psychological necessity for him.

    the clinical definition of neurotic behavior is formerly adaptive behavior that is now maladaptive.

    so mccain’s belief in his will, once so helpful to him, is now leading him into parallel reality land, where he continues to insist upon the obviously untrue because it’s so essential to his psyche that his “will” be rewarded.

    it’s sad and pathetic.

  • After toppling a statue of Saddam I always celebrate with a plastic Thanksgiving turkey dinner. Commander Codpiece’s way of meeting the people is by standing in front of rigidly obedient US troops, flags and wallpaper slogans. Everything about this administration is surface level show biz, and, as here with McCain, they do that so badly that it’s easily exposed. And yet a significant number of people buy the sham. The explanation may lie in our almost slavish addiction to TeeVee. Or maybe it’s our childhood religious training.

  • #16 Howard: I said something to that effect about McCain last week, though you took my comment and did a good job expounding on it.

    I heard something interesting in a CSPAN discussion last week re Duke Cunningham. Sorry I don’t remember the name of the guest or the name of his book, but anyway… he wrote a book about the Cunningham et al corruption scandal. A caller to the show said that he thought that Duke’s sentence was too long given that he was a war hero, earning an award – sorry, again forgot the exact name – having shot down many enemy planes in Vietnam. The author said he had indeed devoted a chapter of the book to that because Duke used the Vietnam hero tag for the rest of his life – to launch his career, and especially for accepting bribes. Duke felt that he was actually entitled to (illegal) spoils because he was a war hero.

    Perhaps howard would like to expound on that? 🙂

  • Hannah, you serve ’em up and i’ll try to spike ’em, but your duke saga is a little trickier!

    from my reading in american history, it does seem to me that at least through world war ii, the notion was that you served your country in war and then didn’t brag about it at home. i wouldn’t be suprised if, like so many other things, this humble little paradigm has passed its sell-by date, and in an era of much greater narcissism and focus on self-promotion, a sense of war hero “entitlement” could easily be generated.

    but really, i wouldn’t know for sure!

    what i do know for sure is that the modern republican party is populated at the top almost entirely with people with no moral and ethical compass, regardless of how they got that way!

  • Graham: “I bought five rugs for five bucks”.

    Translation: Yeehaa! I done ripped off some brown folks! C’mon out to Eyerack yall, them Ay-rabs’ll do anythin’ fer th’ change in yer pockets, hyuck, hyuck! [fires pistols into the air]

    Fucker.

    As for McCain’s peaceful post-parandial stroll, I also wonder how much ill will was generated from rousting citizens from their homes, clearing the streets etc.

    We’re here to liberate you. Really. Unless we need to step on your heads so some decrepit old shit can have a photo op.

    To riff on Tom Cleaver, I move we rename his campaign The Ramp Strike Express.

    tAiO

    p.s. I think we should take a moment to admire the men and women of the US military for not leaving McCainiac alone in the middle of his stunt.

  • Re my comment at #18:
    It was bugging me that I couldn’t remember details of the CSPAN program on 3/23/07; I checked and I had recorded and saved the interview, most of which was about the USA purge. So to fill in the blanks:

    Guest: Jerry Kammer (host Brian Lamb)

    Book: The Wrong Stuff, written by Mr. Kammer and colleagues from Copley News and the San Diego Tribune

    Duke’s award: Navy Ace

    I think the book hasn’t come out yet, but sounds interesting. The authors actually exposed and investigated the Cunningham scandal.

  • It hasn’t quite happened yet, but the Green Zone is slowly becoming under siege, with rocket and mortar attacks becoming more frequent and armed attackers within sight of the fortifications.

    McCain had better enjoy his little strolls while he can. Sooner or later even heavily armed convoys won’t be able to venture out without taking casualties.

  • So many good comments.

    I’ll just say it’s sad that McCan’t believes that Iraq is “safe” because he didn’t die there.

    I suppose he imagines America’s highways are safe because he hasn’t died on them either.

  • Atrios put it well:

    “I don’t know whether to be more amazed by how full of shit he is or the fact that some in the media are actually choosing to report on that fact.”

    I would say “b” is the more amazing thing. Our media play the “you figure out who’s lying” game all too well.

  • It’s safe compared to Hanoi Hilton.

    This hasn’t really gotten any traction, but wait until we get closer to to the primaries, this little junket is gonna cost McCain. What is up with Drudge, he now like McCain or hates liberals worse. They deserve each other.

    John McCain has lost his way and The Straight Talk Express has mutated into the Dumb Ass Clown Car.

  • Those weren’t troops. That was his network! Yeah! That’s it! Take that Ware! Baghdad is so safe he could take his entire network out on a stroll!

    If McCain wasn’t such a whiny little weasel, I’d almost feel bad for how thoroughly he’s humiliating himself.

  • Would anyone have an objection if I were to start referring the the “leader” of the Ramp Strike Express as “Senator McCaca?” It seems so “descriptively fitting” for this particular knuckle-dragging ReThug….

  • Steve, @28

    No, you can’t have Senator McCaca. It’s too close to Macaca and that one is *ours* (I’m in Virginia). We have retired him in November and we don’t want any more.

  • If there is any justice in the universe, the ridiculous shot of McCain in a bulletproof vest surrounded by troops on his “stroll” will go down in photo-op backfire history as his “Dukakis in the tank” moment.

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