John McCain Just Made an Inexcusable Gaffe About U.S. Casualties in Iraq
The collapse of Iraq back into a Bush-era Hell on Earth has brought the usual suspects out of the woodwork to insist that the United States should have kept Americans to fight and die in the hellhole that they lied us into. They include Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who has been making the cable news rounds, demanding firings and trying to sell the comparison of a “residual force” in Iraq with those left in Bosnia, where there were a total of 18 U.S. casualties for the duration of that conflict.
On MSNBC’s Morning Joe Friday morning, he also compared a hypothetical U.S. residual force in Iraq with those in “Bosnia, Korea, Germany, Japan,” but it was on CNN’s New Day that McCain’s sales pitch really jumped the shark.
“It’s important for us to note that in other wars and other conflicts, we have left residual forces behind, not in a combat role, but a stabilizing role,” McCain told Chris Cuomo. “Whether it be Korea, Japan, Germany. We still have forces in Bosnia from that conflict.”
He also added “We had it won, and we needed to have a residual force.”
The key differences between those post-conflict nations and Iraq are rather obvious, as is the more apt comparison with another conflict with which McCain is intimately familiar. President George W. Bush began using the language of Vietnamization barely two years into the Iraq war, and the deeply-divided Iraq we left behind much more closely resembled Vietnam than any of those that McCain listed.
McCain’s implication is that, like in those other countries he listed, the U.S. could have kept a small force in Iraq without risk of casualties, handing out Hershey bars and training Iraqi commandos, and maybe we didn’t because we’re just yella, or something.
“We had literally no casualties there in Iraq during the last period after the surge was over,” McCain said, “and by leaving a vacuum, then that was obviously filled.”
He literally said “literally.”
Watch:
The truth is, of course, that…READ MORE
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By: Tommy Christopher
Tommy Christopher is The Daily Banter's White House Correspondent and Political Analyst. He's been a political reporter and liberal commentator since 2007, and has covered the White House since the beginning of the Obama administration, first for PoliticsDaily, and then for Mediaite. Christopher is a frequent guest on a variety of television, radio, and online programs, and was the villain in the documentaries The Audacity of Democracy and Hating Breitbart. He's also That Guy Who Live-Tweeted His Own Heart Attack, and the only person to have ever received public apologies from both Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.
Anomaly 100 June 13th, 2014 at 15:36
ZOMG!
fahvel June 14th, 2014 at 04:05
le ZOMG, c’est quoi?
Anomaly 100 June 14th, 2014 at 08:45
It’s the same as OMG.
Anomaly 100 June 13th, 2014 at 15:36
ZOMG!
fahvel June 14th, 2014 at 04:05
le ZOMG, c’est quoi?
Anomaly 100 June 14th, 2014 at 08:45
It’s the same as OMG.
Ed Gentner June 13th, 2014 at 15:44
The man is delusional…
Ed Gentner June 13th, 2014 at 15:44
The man is delusional…
mea_mark June 13th, 2014 at 15:54
The Dementia is setting in big time. Time to go to the rest home and make your top priority a fresh set of Depends.
mea_mark June 13th, 2014 at 15:54
The Dementia is setting in big time. Time to go to the rest home and make your top priority a fresh set of Depends.
Shades June 13th, 2014 at 15:56
I’d hate to be the staffer who drew the short straw and had to tell him his mistake.
Shades June 13th, 2014 at 15:56
I’d hate to be the staffer who drew the short straw and had to tell him his mistake.
Obewon June 13th, 2014 at 15:58
After trying to us sell half-term fools gold, McCain remains truly Palinesque.
Obewon June 13th, 2014 at 15:58
After trying to sell us half-term fools gold, McCain remains truly Palinesque.
FriendofThom June 13th, 2014 at 16:08
McCain is starting to suffer from senility/ dementia in addition to rightwing stupidity.
granpa.usthai June 13th, 2014 at 17:34
It’s OK. His accounting staff has been informed that an unknown amount has been transferred from numerous unnamed Dubai bank accounts to his re-election account in the USA.
…all is well.
FriendofThom June 13th, 2014 at 16:08
McCain is starting to suffer from senility/ dementia in addition to rightwing stupidity.
granpa.usthai June 13th, 2014 at 17:34
It’s OK. His accounting staff has been informed that an unknown amount has been transferred from numerous unnamed Dubai bank accounts to his re-election account in the USA.
…all is well.
CPullum June 13th, 2014 at 16:14
And I guess he also forgot that Iraq wanted us gone, and refused to allow our soldiers to stay unless they were subject to Iraqi law. Meaning they could be arrested, tortured, and killed for doing their jobs as a military force if they stayed. Uh, NO dumbo.
granpa.usthai June 13th, 2014 at 17:29
kinda makes me wonder how the despot Maliki will look dangeling from a rope on you-tube.
CPullum June 13th, 2014 at 16:14
And I guess he also forgot that Iraq wanted us gone, and refused to allow our soldiers to stay unless they were subject to Iraqi law. Meaning they could be arrested, tortured, and killed for doing their jobs as a military force if they stayed. Uh, NO dumbo.
granpa.usthai June 13th, 2014 at 17:29
kinda makes me wonder how the despot Maliki will look dangeling from a rope on you-tube.
pablopcasso June 13th, 2014 at 16:37
Yes, he’s also forgotten that the Japanese, the Germans, and the South Koreans all have a form of government somewhat resembling ours, and are now our allies. They see our troops as partners, not as enemies.
granpa.usthai June 13th, 2014 at 17:45
that was before GOPs figured out they could sit at home, make up excuses (mommie sez ME cannot go to fight because ME will get dirty, ME have school, etc.) and make lots of money by waving the flag and calling those who refused to go ‘yeller cowards’. Trick is to make it sound as if we’ll be WMD’d at any moment – probably right now if we don’t jump in without asking questions – like, WTF has been running the Iraqi government since the US pulled out back when.
QUICKLY!!
‘amount available’ is about to be posted for this month!
pablopcasso June 13th, 2014 at 16:37
Yes, he’s also forgotten that the Japanese, the Germans, and the South Koreans all have a form of government somewhat resembling ours, and are now our allies. They see our troops as partners, not as enemies.
granpa.usthai June 13th, 2014 at 17:45
that was before GOPs figured out they could sit at home, make up excuses (mommie sez ME cannot go to fight because ME will get dirty, ME have school, etc.) and make lots of money by waving the flag and calling those who refused to go ‘yeller cowards’. Trick is to make it sound as if we’ll be WMD’d at any moment – probably right now if we don’t jump in without asking questions – like, WTF has been running the Iraqi government since the US pulled out back when.
QUICKLY!!
‘amount available’ is about to be posted for this month!
Foundryman June 13th, 2014 at 16:44
Call it the Palin effect. It appears the shock of learning what he done by choosing Palin as a running mate has permanently effected how his brain functions. That or dementia is setting in.
granpa.usthai June 13th, 2014 at 17:26
that, or he’s still getting invoices for a credit card account from 2008.
Foundryman June 13th, 2014 at 16:44
Call it the Palin effect. It appears the shock of learning what he done by choosing Palin as a running mate has permanently effected how his brain functions. That or dementia is setting in.
granpa.usthai June 13th, 2014 at 17:26
that, or he’s still getting invoices for a credit card account from 2008.
granpa.usthai June 13th, 2014 at 17:23
hey you guys below – “amount available” still trumps all your opinions below. If it takes calling America yeller for not jumping in the bed that Maliki MADE, to have another trillion or three deposited in Dubai war profiteering bank accounts, so be it.
Chinese Democracy June 14th, 2014 at 00:38
conservatives always jump right to the who do we bomb part. They never even slow down at the will anything we do make any difference part heh
granpa.usthai June 13th, 2014 at 17:23
hey you guys below – “amount available” still trumps all your opinions below. If it takes calling America yeller for not jumping in the bed that Maliki MADE, to have another trillion or three deposited in Dubai war profiteering bank accounts, so be it.
Chinese Democracy June 14th, 2014 at 00:38
conservatives always jump right to the who do we bomb part. They never even slow down at the will anything we do make any difference part heh