Much has been made in the media about how John McCain shot himself in the head when he told CBS News' Katie Couric on Tuesday:
Colonel McFarlane (phonetic) was contacted by one of the major Sunni sheiks. Because of the surge we were able to go out and protect that sheik and others. And it began the Anbar awakening. I mean, that's just a matter of history. Thanks to General Petraeus, our leadership, and the sacrifice of brave young Americans.
On his little-watched Morning Joe program on MSNBC (vid, next page), Joe Scarborough quotes Mike Cooper in the New York Times this morning:
The Obama campaign was quick to note that the Anbar Awakening began in the fall of 2006, several months before President Bush even announced the troop escalation strategy, which became known as the surge. (No less an authority than Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, testified before Congress this spring that the Awakening “started before the surge, but then was very much enabled by the surge.”)
Don't know if Keefums will stand for that, Joe.
Anyway, as we've seen, the media has been pushing the notion that John McCain has lost his raison d'etre, with the mentally aging Joe Klein leaping laughably to the fore on this one. (Check it out. His latest reads like one of the more lame cases of a BO release.)
Here's Joe Scarborough, a much better Joe, addressing this matter this morning:
Not very convincing
Jason_Wolf July 24th, 2008 at 12:33 p.m. (link)
Petraeus backs up what Obama said : the surge began after the AA. Yes, the surge certainly helped move things along, but on the chronology, Obama is correct. McCain needs to watch the gaffes before he drowns in them.
What about Obama gaffs?
IndependentfrMI July 24th, 2008 at 12:47 p.m. (link)
Why is it we only hear about McCain gaffs while the media glosses over Obama's? The most telling one it his visit to 57 states, my god this man wants to be president. Or how about the one in San Fran; people in the midwest cling to their guns and faith out of fear. I cling to my gun and faith because it's my right gauranteed under the constitution of the United States Mr. Obama.
No, its not...
Mark Kilmer July 24th, 2008 at 3:21 p.m. (link)
"what Obama said." This is not about Obama being right and McCain being wrong; the problem you have is with something McCain said with no relation to Obama.
See the post above for Obama's even more serious gaffe, from last January. He said that the Spring '06 Anbar Awakening was caused by the November '06 Congressional elections.
Don't Forget
aandeagle July 24th, 2008 at 4 p.m. (link)
The leader in Anbar that assisted the sunni's in their awakening was the same Lt. Col. I believe that wrote the first draft of the paper (with Gen Petreaus) that described the surge and why it would work.
re: Not very convincing
Vegas_Rick July 24th, 2008 at 4:19 p.m. (link)
What is convincing, is the fact that there would not have BEEN an Anbar awakening if BHO had had his way.
Instead, AQ would now have the run of the place.
Those who control energy, control society.
tumescent idiocy
Streiff July 24th, 2008 at 6:37 p.m. (link)
Read the story before commenting. Last warning.
"A man does what he can and endures what he must."
Tripping over the "surge"
psmarc93 July 24th, 2008 at 5:43 p.m. (link)
The central problem is the definition of the "surge." The Anbar Awakening began in Fall onf 2006 Abu Risha and other tribesmen met secretly with Gen McFarlane and US commanders to get money and weapons to fight off Al Qaeda. The move was a stunning success. By Spring 2007, long before the surge had taken full hold, this use of money and alliances called the Anbar Awakening had its soldiers bragging that it defeated Al Qaeda in months when the US couldn’t finish the job in years. The "surge" or "increase in troops" was focused in Baghdad and didn't see positive results at all by the end of June -- to which McCain and Bush were defending this escalation at the time by reminding everyone that "the surge hasn't begun!" So, in June 2007 Bush and McCain tell us the surge had not yet begun, now McCain wants to cover a gaffe by saying there was a secret surge. Gen McFarlane deserves a huge amount of credit for advancing this Anbar Awakening and it shouldn't be co-opted by McCain. If McCain is going to put all his eggs in the basket of the surge and his expertise on Iraq, he can't afford to confuse basic facts. Obama can get away with saying "The increase of troops has proved more successful than I originally estimated" and people will see him as reasonable and responsive to change more than a flip-flopper. McCain says he's the expert and goofs on the fundemental progress of the surge and he looks like a fool. Fair -- maybe not, maybe so.
Tripping over the "surge"
psmarc93 July 24th, 2008 at 5:43 p.m. (link)
The central problem is the definition of the "surge." The Anbar Awakening began in Fall onf 2006 Abu Risha and other tribesmen met secretly with Gen McFarlane and US commanders to get money and weapons to fight off Al Qaeda. The move was a stunning success. By Spring 2007, long before the surge had taken full hold, this use of money and alliances called the Anbar Awakening had its soldiers bragging that it defeated Al Qaeda in months when the US couldn’t finish the job in years. The "surge" or "increase in troops" was focused in Baghdad and didn't see positive results at all by the end of June -- to which McCain and Bush were defending this escalation at the time by reminding everyone that "the surge hasn't begun!" So, in June 2007 Bush and McCain tell us the surge had not yet begun, now McCain wants to cover a gaffe by saying there was a secret surge. Gen McFarlane deserves a huge amount of credit for advancing this Anbar Awakening and it shouldn't be co-opted by McCain. If McCain is going to put all his eggs in the basket of the surge and his expertise on Iraq, he can't afford to confuse basic facts. Obama can get away with saying "The increase of troops has proved more successful than I originally estimated" and people will see him as reasonable and responsive to change more than a flip-flopper. McCain says he's the expert and goofs on the fundemental progress of the surge and he looks like a fool. Fair -- maybe not, maybe so.