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First Major Conflict Since 9/11?

Posted by Matt Ortega on July 24, 2008 at 04:02 PM

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In the now infamous interview between CBS' Katie Couric and John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee apparently believes the war in Afghanistan, where the 9/11 attacks originated, is not a "major conflict."

Couric: Sen. Obama also told me, Sen. McCain, that the money spent on those additional troops, on the surge, might have been more effective had it gone to Afghanistan or even to a better energy policy in the United States. What's your response?

McCain: The fact is we had four years of failed policy. We were losing. We were losing the war in Iraq. The consequences of failure and defeat of the United States of America in the first major conflict since 9/11 would have had devastating impacts throughout the region and the world. [emphasis added]

According to John McCain, the war in Afghanistan doesn't count as a "major conflict." That explains why the Bush/McCain policies of ignoring Afghanistan and diverting resources to Iraq have led to the major problems we currently see there after nearly seven years of war.

Senator Barack Obama, however, advocated for a stronger American commitment to Afghanistan. Additionally, in his speech in front of nearly a quarter million Berliners today, Senator Obama called on Europe to commit more to the fight in Afghanistan, the true central front in the war on terror.

Update: Here's the video:

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