McCain Offers His Iraq Timetable
Laura Meckler reports from Columbus, Ohio on the presidential race.
After months of ridiculing opponents who want to set a timetable for withdrawal in Iraq, today John McCain is setting his own timetable.

In remarks prepared for delivery, he says he envisions that “most” of the troops now serving will be home by January 2013, when his first term would end.
Laying out a list of things he hopes to achieve as president, the Republican candidate begins with Iraq:
“By January 2013, America has welcomed home most of the servicemen and women who have sacrificed terribly so that America might be secure in her freedom,” he says in remarks prepared for delivery.
He says that he anticipates that by then, the war will have been won and Iraq will have a functioning democracy, though it will still be “suffering from the lingering effects of decades of tyranny and centuries of sectarian tension.”
By January 2013, he says, he anticipates that the U.S. will maintain a military presence there “but a much smaller one, and it does not play a direct combat role.”
McCain has repeatedly attacked Democrats for promising a withdrawal of troops. Last month, in a speech to members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, he said:
“I do not believe that anyone should make promises as a candidate for president that they cannot keep if elected. To promise a withdrawal of our forces from Iraq, regardless of the calamitous consequences to the Iraqi people, our most vital interests, and the future of the Middle East, is the height of irresponsibility. It is a failure of leadership.”
Four More Years! Four More Years!
What McCain says won’t matter,
McCain is being advertised as Bush III by the Demos, and with their proxies, the mainstream media, McCain doesn’t stand a chance this fall, President Obama will have us out long before Jan 2013.
The real question is, when will we be going back??
McCain is a a Big Panderer. Does he even means what he says. He keeps changing his Statements every week. I’m getting tired of McSane!
Even the lying McMedia cannot save McBush. The corporate media have given the C student in chief a free ride in their hot pursuit of good juicy news (nothing like a war!) and pulitzers. They will try to brand Obama with as much fake charges as they can muster and get away with. But people are tired and more worried about their jobs than about republican fear mongering or McFossil war mongering. And please, no more right wing flat earth theories masking itself as science. Lets keep the crazies in the pulpit where they belong, not on panels about “bioethics” or any other bit of Bush junk science.
Lets get back to basics: sweep the rascals out!
Once Bush and his Cronies are out of the office he should be put on TRIAL. The crimes they have committed all around the world by deception, lies, atrocities is simply DESPICABLE!!!
Equal justice for everyone even if you are a president!!
McCain learned nothing from Vietnam. He still thinks that a technologically superior empire can defeat a guerrilla army fighting in their home terrain.
google for ‘mccain iraq timetable’ and you will see McCain ripping into other candidates for making the exact same statements he is making now.
This doddering old fool will make Alf Landon look like a big winner.
If you truely love America, it is time to seriously discuss ideas how to make this country better.
These inane, vitriolic comments by the spineless liberal section are getting tiresome. Leave it up to Obama and we’ll be fighting the terrorists in here instead of there.
For the brain dead, please note: specifying an objective for getting our forces out after victory is NOT the same as specifying a deadline for removing them regardless of the situation. The latter is a timetable for removal, the former is an objective that depends on success.
One more comment: criticizing McCain on the basis of his age is crude bigotry - a behavior that I thought was against the oft stated principles of free-thinking liberals.
McCain’s only vision is to: continue on with King George’s self serving, plutocratic, nationally destructive policies of fleecing the middle class of America to line the pockets of rich wealthy republican elitists, murdering our nation’s mothers, fathers, sons and daughters in illegal republican, unconstitutional wars like Iraq, continuing to sell our jobs over seas under the disguise of “free trade”, spending like there is no tomorrow while claiming to be conservative, giving large corporation’s tax breaks and welfare while cutting aid to American citizens and acting as if wasting American tax dollars on social programs for Iraq and other countries is sound policy while doing so for American citizens is somehow socialism.
At least his plan offers the prospects of victory and American accomplishment. The only victory Obama and the Dems want is a political one. This is what happens when government schools have been teaching our children that it’s okay to lose, and encouraging an “everybody’s a winner” mentality. We used to be a strong nation. Now our country can barely stomach a fight. We used to be a nation of strong, hardworking people, but now we want to sit back and let our “nanny state” government provide for and bottle-feed us our every need.
What will happen that will allow Iraq to be a functioning Democracy that hasn’t happened.
Muqtada al-Sadr will be 4 years older? This power hungry Shiite will all of sudden moderate and play nice. So will McCain give us a body count and tell us how much more money we have to pour into this? Why are we here? What would happen if we just picked up and left? Would the oil fields burn? Would Iran take over? Unless McCain can give us some consequences, then I’m never going to buy into staying there one more minute than we have to.
McCain gave a good speech, outlining his first 4 years vision for our country. McCain is a patriot of America, while Obama is a 20 years student/believer of Black Liberation Theology-anti-white, anti-America teachings. Most Americans would not feel safe with Obama in the White House. Obama does not share or represent the America Peoples Values. Bottom line. Obama is unelectable.
How can anyone vote for McCain after listening this nonsense? And that’s what it truly is; nonsense.
So McSame is in the Oracle business now? I am amazed at how much flip-flopping this moron has done, but he still gets a free-pass. Yet what does the press focuses on: Obama calling a woman “sweetie”. Jesus help us. Obama has been deemed too black, not black enough, elitist, unpatriotic. The next scoop is he is sexist, yet he will still win the election.
Uh Oh, was that a prediction?(lol)
McCain has problems with his thinking. in the real world, he is so far removed that he just doesn’t understand what he should do if he was to be president.
his election would be a third term for the bush gang aka the new mafia.
I have heard of present-tense pandering before but this is the first time I have ever heard of future-tense pandering. McCain’s summer gas-tax suspension is a present-tense pander. McCain’s improbably clairvoyant statement about the tranquil and bucolic state of the world in 2013 that will enable him to pull back troops from Iraq (wasn’t that called “cut and run” in the reality world of 2007?) is a stunning future-tense pander from a man once known to Talk Straight, so stunning to make me wonder whether it’s really a pander at all or the first public sign of dementia.
And they said Kerry was a flip flopper? It is painful watching McCain trying to navigate between pandering to the far right (embracing those previous agents of intolerance) and his distancing himself from his own crazed warmongering. I’m starting to think that he might cause more damage than Bush has — although Bush is mendacity defined at least he is consistent.
What he did not say who are going to win. Halliburton maybe, the american war machine..?
This is a distraction. we lost when we went to a war without true and reasonable motives, no matter how many Iraquies we kill, we all ready lost. But Mr Mkcain can not say that, and will not say that in four years he will draft my sons to fight a war that is already planned in Iran.
Only a fool will buy into his rhetoric.
McPatriot is answering the liberal press who have incorrectly portrayed his early remarks about staying in Iraq the way we have stayed in Germany, Japan, Korea and the Balkans, as “none of our troops are ever leaving”. McHero supporters accurately heard what he said early on: after winning and stabalizing the country, we’ll keep some troops there the way we have in every other conflict where we were victorious. Those who deride McWounded-for-the-Sake-of-Your-Freedom heard differently - and thus his Columbus clarification. What dems all know, but hope won’t be realized, is that Obama’s base are notorious no-shows at the polls, and without Billary, their party abdicates the middle, all of which points to one thing: McWinner.
To Bob:
Please don’t refer to Obama as PRESIDENT Obama. Can you honestly picture his ugly mug carved into Mount Rushmore? I don’t think so. McCain 08
Is anyone buying this? He promising 4 more years- in Iraq. Sensing that his 100 years war wasn’t going to work, McCain has now joined the anti-war legions so to speak. I’m ready for him say “Peace With Honor” next. Is there anybody left in this country that thinks we should be there. Pull back to Afghanistan, send half the troops home. You should be able to get that done by the middle of next year. Can anybody explain why we’re still there. To protect the oil. Then say so. Change the name to “Operation Enduring Oil Supply”.
Wow, I wonder how much time you liberals spent with your thesauruses to make your over-the-top radical comments sound educated. Let’s not forget that John McCain served this country in the armed forces and is a hero to this nation. I trust his judgement on the capabilities of our military forces and his understanding of the realities of war far more than I trust the opinion of a person who has spent their entire life in the confines of a law office. I should not have to remind you that the reason why you can sit at your computer and express your opinions freely is because courageous people throughout history have been willing to risk their lives to defend the principals of freedom. Perhaps if I push that thought aside, I can instead choose to elect someone more willing to take money from hard working Americans and give it to me in the form of a welfare check so that I may sit on my couch with my thesaurus and enjoy witty banter with you fine folks.
Well 100 more years in Iraq wasn’t too popular, so how about 4 more years, and then 4 more years after that, and 4 more years after that, and 4 more years after that…. There, doesn’t that make a whole lot more palatable?
So why is it that the rest of “who haven’t served our country” are second class citizens to those that have? Why are they who fought once, long ago, more schooled in the ways of the world than those of us that regularly read our newspapers and crack open a history book every now and again? If I watched the Russian get their you know whats kicked in Afghanistan and suffered through the long national nightmare of Vietnam, am I not qualified to see that a 5 year old war is going nowhere and that we should get out now. Perhaps if some “courageous” people had shown some restraint or better yet had thought through what was to be done and did it, then there would be 4000 more courageous people walking around today.
Thank you for pointing out the contradiction here, Ms. Meckler. I’ve accused you of writing pro-McCain copy before, but this is better.
You would think there would be some McShame is so blatantly a flip flopping, pandering, desperate and cynical manuever. He will do anything to try and get some of the Bushie stink off of himself. I guess we have year deflation now with 100 years getting compressed to 4. Of course the real question is what on earth does he mean by “win the war” during this time? Find some magic way to make the sunni’s like the shia, the shia like the sunni’s, nobody like Iran and everyone like us? All in four years? Wow! What optimism! this is not a war, it is an occupation and we need to leave people to settle their own affairs and quit exaggeration the threat to the US to justify a land grab.
6 years have taken 4000 troops and 100K of Iraqis life. How much more in 4 years Mr. McCain? Plus what about US image in the Globalization era? You are not at all up for 2008.
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If the Iraq war is so unpopular, why are people still signing up for the military? I was against the war from the beginning, but I just have to say that if people are voluntarily signing up, we should give the effort our full support.
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Moreover, McCain’s son is in the military and was over in Iraq! He’s got skin in the game folks. Isn’t that what liberals have been complaining about?
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I frankly have been disappointed with Obama. His failure to support free trade is ominous as he would be the first president since Hoover to be anti-trade.
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I also can’t get a clear read on Obama’s view on dividend/capital gains taxation. If taxes on dividends/capital gains go up, the stock market will go down.
For all those who continue to wear rose colored glasses, what do you think would happen if we pulled out of Iraq today? All of us want our troops out of a war that probably shouldn’t have been in the first place, but the reality is that if we walk out of Iraq today the terrorists will be in our backyard tomorrow! You can’t untangle a mess like we’re in now in day. I’d like to believe that Obama can do what he’s preaching to us-the fact is he can’t without dire consequences.
Why don’t you send your son or brother to fight this unjust war. Maybe other’s in your family would follow???
Right, all-caps guy; this is pure BS
A vote for Obama is “the kiss of death” to America and its values.
McCain served, bravely and honorably. But all he learned is that the hates “gooks.” He was a Navy pilot. That doesn’t qualify him as a great strategist or any kind of strategist.
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All this BS that if we pull out of Iraq the next day terrorists will be here: We pulled out of Vietnam, and then the North Vietnamese invaded the U.S. — NOT. There is no strategic coherence at all in our Iraq policy. Killing people, and getting our people killed and maimed, for no good reason is a good definition of too stupid to be patriotic.
The fact is the war in Iraq has been won. The Saddam regime is gone. Now we are winning the war for the establishing of a true democracy, our only hope for showing the young moslems / arabs that life is more than preparing for death. Plus, despite the predictions of all experts, there has not been any serious terror attack in the U.S. since 9/11. In this time when terrorists can get their hands on nuclear / chemical weapons easily we have to keep fighting them there rather than here.Who would you rather have in charge, McCain or another political power hungry ignorant inexperienced hack?
In fact, McCain did not know what he was talking about. He just wanted voters give him four years in The White House.
What a joke of a comment by McCain…it’s all a fantasy designed to fool voters. Of course he doesn’t tell us how he is going to accomplish this. He just kind of magically conjures it up. It reminds me of Bush; he promised after the surge that we could begin bringing large amounts of troops home, and that hasn’t happened.
this is all so silly if we stay in iraq like we are in the rest of the country. we all know that our soliders will have to fight. those countries will never be like the rest of the world. lf these church goers understand the beibg of what they are reading in their blble. instead of wanting to rule the world they would remember god said we will heard of rumours of even when we have peace. but didnt tell us to go and try to stop their wars. we are suppose to listen to the bible and stay here in our country that situation is for god to happen. the bible lays out a map and we are suppose to follow his words. i supose we are a stupid now. i jut camt understand how people listen to mcain and no real feeling toward the soliders. how many more 18- 25year old young women and men do you want to look in their eyes. with amputated arm,legs,badly burn and mental disorder to point they cant help theirelves and living uon the streets after servicing america. thehe are young people have any of us try to understand their pain and headache with these wounds. we never think about how it feels to be 18-25 years old missing a part of your body. what about the parnets.sisters,brothers and other family mmembers who hve to bury their son or daugther. there is always some left to suffer. lets sometimes think about trying to end this war in a manner in which it will stop the destruction of young lives but also keep us as safe as we can now. this war cant leave into another war we should think god have these young lives and ready be sreious about this election because million of lives are atstate. the lives, pride,heroism of our american women and men in this war. sut also the dead of women babies,husband,familiy members whon has nothing to do with the fight.
Talk about appeasment. Talk about pandering. Isn’t this the guy who has always maintained that setting a timetable for withdrawal would empower the enemy? 2013? How many more American kids have to come home with their arms and legs and nuts shot off, or blind or burned or simply don’t come home at all - and for what - a wag-the-dog war? And to add insult to injury, he doesn’t support an increase in the GI Bill!!! I guess those benefits are just not that important to someone as filthy rich as he is. McCain and his wife are worth more than 100 million dollars and he’s got the gall to call Obama elite?
America has values? Who will the Born Again Idiots vote for this year? Another Killer?
The war will take 10 years to win in a sandbox, and cost how many Trillions? What a great and powerful military America must have, or a bunch of Morons in DC?
I just don’t think McCain has any clue how to win the war, or even what a won war would look like. This was all an awful mistake, that he helpd enable, and now it is the centerpiece of his presidential run. It’s why I won’t - I can’t - vote for him. He doesn’t have a way forward. His whole rationale for running is defending and entrenching the mistakes of yesterday. To base troops in Iraq, as in Korea and Japan and Germany - how long can we continue to do this? We’re not made of money, nor of weapons. HRC and BO do not have all the answers, to be sure, but McCain -like Bush - is wrong, wrong, wrong for this country.
I’m not surprised that John McCain pictures “most” US troops out of Iraq 5 years from now. What astonishes me is that the media criticize his wish list for being “rosy”.
Most Americans want this war concluded long before 2013. Very few of us are prepared for a President who tells them in 2013 “Of course my wish list wasn’t a timetable, my hope of just 5 more years of war did turn out to be too rosy, but if you re-elect me I really hope that by the end of my second term in 2017 most of the troops will be withdrawn. If not, my good friend Jeb Bush has already assured me that he’ll take over; he’s kinda sure that he can achieve victory by 2021 … or thereabouts.”
Any President who drags this war out one day longer than necessary will have the people to deal with, and anyone in the media who says it should drag on that long needs his press credentials removed.
I see democrats are still as dumb as ever. My wish is that they all emigrate to Europe where they could find real happiness with their true soulmates. America is just too rough for the spoiled brats who think the world revolves around them. They talk aboout being the more loving and caring party who cannot tolerate war even if our enemies march in and take this country. It’s for sure they wouldn’t fight to save it. I say go on dems. Paris is waiting and take Hussein Obama with you. Paris would love him.
I’ve read a lot of sarcasm and hateful rhetoric this morning but nothing has helped me make an intelligent decision in November. Is it time to give up our two-party system so we can look at a candidate for his or her qualifications rather than whether he or she is rep or dem?
democrats have created a dependent Class with their supposed “caring” for you !! Now here comes the Messiah Obama who will make us a dependent nation on UN on a bunch of leftists,socialists,blood thirsty meglomaniacs such as Chavez,A’nad,Mugable and yes Putin Watch out!!
only difference between McCain and Obama is, Obama said it, he will remove the troops right now no hesitation.McCain is offering his vision not something that is carved in stone. Also he said, if you really want to read or listen to what he said, McCain said if all the things are peaceful and a kind of settled state is reached in Iraq , he did not say he would have them out no matter what. remember Nam? 3 million were killed when we cut and run and we had them beat ,but the peace nic’s said get em out now . just as Obama has said on more then one occasion about the troops in Iraq. We will have a repeat of Nam where millions of people paid with their lives because we left to quick. We have lost stature in the world because we have no resolve.




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