re comment #62158 by afriend.  What a silly idea.  Why e-mail McCain.  Unless you are billionaire who can help him get elected, he really doesn’t give a hoot what you have to say.

#62051 by Ernest Canning on 4/03 at 8:59 pm
(Truthdig Guest)

“Oh, regarding John Greg’s comment #61976 about once holding out “high hopes” for Mr. McCain--apparently Mr. Greg never followed the S & L scandal back in the 80s.  McCain was knee deep in it, as was the President’s brother, Neil Bush.
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Actually Ernest, you are absolutely correct, I didn’t follow that in the 80s, I wasn’t interested in political crimes and such at the time (I was much younger) and I was living in the bush, in Northwest Alaska during that period, (read as limited media available, one radio station) and so I do vaguely remember something about that.  But thanks for pointing that out. you are correct.

If you have taken the time to comment on this blog, please take the time to e-mail Senator McCain your comments/concerns. That is what needs to happen; American’s need to let our congressional “Representatives” know how we feel by writing or e-mailing them. Try: http://mccain.senate.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=Contact.Home

It is clear to most people by now that there is little chance of victory in Iraq. It is still unsafe and will probably remain so no matter how many more troops we send over and how much money we pump into the war. Come on, we’ve already spent over $300 billion! How about we drop this war that nobody wants to be involved in and turn our attention to matters which can be resolved, such as global poverty. The Millenium Goals were set in 2000 to eliminate world hunger and according to the Borgen Project, with an additional $19 billion annually they can be achieved.

mccain+bush+cheney=pure evil:  they do not care about anyone but themselves. screw the American people, the Congress & the World.

pelosi tries to be diplomatic in syria. mccain+bush+cheney can’t spell diplomacy.

I think Bush & McCain, when puffing themselves up by having a 30% loyal ‘base’ fail to realize that is only on the Republican side, and even on the Republican side this means 70% are against many of their policies AND...what about the 50% of the country WHO ARE NOT REPUBLICANS? Bush & McCain must have completely lost their minds if they believe the overwhelming majority of Americans will continue to buy their blather about the ‘surge’ (no let’s call it what it is “ESCALATION") working. I want to know how much of my tax money was wasted on McCain’s photo op, especially when Bush is crying the blues about money for the troops running short. With the stupidity of this stunt McCain has shown he doesn’t have the intelligence to represent the American people as a U.S. Senator, much less as our President.

What I don’t get about all of this, is the fact that all of this can be easily checked.  Did Senator McCain think no one would say anything or noticed that what he said on CNN would not match what he did on his walkabout!?  Could someone explain this to me!?!

McCain and Pence are either incredibly stupid, deranged, or cynical beyond belief. If the last, then their actions and statements indicate their belief that the public could possibly take for real this ridiculously and dangerously staged photo-op.

There’s that old saying—“Don’t piss on me and tell me it’s only raining.”

Okay, Mr. McCain let’s examine the “success” of the escalation, er, I mean “surge.” The Gulf Research Center reported that there were 92 suicide attacks in Feb. and March 2007 as compared to 62 during the last two months of 2006.  In March, the U.S. military death toll was nearly double that of Iraqi forces--81 vs. 44.  Iraqi civilian deaths rose 15% in March as compared to February, with 600 Iraqis killed in the last week of March alone.

But, hey, the Halliburton and Blackwater bottom lines are doing just fine, and then there’s that Iraqi oil give away to think about.  So why mess up a good thing by focusing on the negatives?

Oh, regarding John Greg’s comment #61976 about once holding out “high hopes” for Mr. McCain--apparently Mr. Greg never followed the S & L scandal back in the 80s.  McCain was knee deep in it, as was the President’s brother, Neil Bush.

THE SURGE IS WORKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE GWB/CHEENY OCCUPATION IS MAKING GREAT PROGRESS.  Thank you to all American tax payers and to Congress for continuing to fund the GW occupation.

I look forward to spending my 2009 vacation at the Halliburton Desert Palace in downtown Bagdad.

I’m making a reservation right now. It’s in the green zone right?

Reminder:  Pack suntan oil. Bring extra gas cans to fill and send home. Ask for the “lier Cheney” suite. Pack gas mask and bullet proof vest. Ask GW if I can borrow Saddam’s pistol. Ask Halliburton Car Rental to reserve a Humvie, If not available, reserve young fast Camel. Lookup President McCain while there.

Fun!.

This is McCain at his most arrogant and unfeeling.

His statements show a total lack of concern for what we have done to the Iraiqi people and an utter disregard for his responsibility to tell the American people the truth.

Sir you are a pig-headed liar!

Someone please ask McCain what color the sky is in his world. Whether he sold it or just lost it, his mind is gone. Arizona it’s time to recall your Senator - stick a fork in him, he’s done.

I’d have to disagree with McCain. Setting a leave date does not mean not supporting the troops. I support the timeline for the war; we need some sense and structure in Iraq. Mostly, I agree with setting a timeline because the $340 billion spent in the Iraq debacle can be utilized in beneficial ways. According to the Borgen Project, a group that is lobbying political leaders to support the UN Millennium Development Goals, just a fraction of the military budget can end starvation, provide education for every child in the world and reverse the spread of Malaria and AIDS. We need leadership that will be progressive in tackling major issues in the world.

It is ridiculous and disheartening to see the effort that the U.S. put into protecting John McCain on his recent visit to Iraq, while millions of people in the world are in dire need of change and protection. One in every five people who live in poverty survive on less than a dollar a day. This is a global concern that must be addressed immediately. Instead of going to excessive limits to protect one political leader, efforts should be made to provide security to the people who barely survive each day. The hope is that the Millennium Development Goals will achieve this by eradicating global poverty by 2025.

Well heck, when taking a stroll, doesn’t everyone go out with 100 heavily armed combat troops and a couple of Abrams Tanks prowling the area? Plus, a couple of Stryker armored personel carriers. And overhead, two Apache helicopter gunships and three Blackhawk helicopter vertical insertion platforms?
Hey, and don’t forget to wear your flak vest.

Not to mention the squadron of F-16’s prowling overhead. And the C-130 “Spectre” flying fortress circling the area that has enough onboard firepower to decimate an area the size of a football field in one minute.
Plus, everyone i know always has a security team sweep the area before strolling.

All kidding aside, McCain looks so tired and worn out on TV mumbling White House Talking points that he comes across as pathetic.

greg bacon

Senator (I am a hero) McCain is such a total phoney! Imagine how many Iraqis can go to the market with helicopters, 100 military, with humvvees fore and aft - and wearing a bullet proof vest no less! Did I mention that we are insulted by such mockery of reality. He truly has become a national disgrace!

Forrest McBush: Stupid is, as stupid does.

Sorry, Forrest, didn’t mean to compare you to those two imbeciles.

The insanity that comes out of their mouths doesn’t even surprise or shock me anymore.

Demand a new, true 9/11 investigation.

http://www.911truth.org

McCain has become a truly pathetic, ridiculous figure, has he not?

He’s unable to beg for votes at this market place.

His brain is as narrowed as a dead end road !

If we have a president like him the future of this country could not be brighter than that of Bush tenure !

I’m a democrat and grew up in Arizona, I had the greatest hopes for MCain even though he is Republican.  He used to be so smart, he has done a complete turnaround and is now no better than Bush.  So what the hell happened to him?!?!?!?  Such a shame when a good man goes bad, especially in public.

We should insist that all Republican and other candidates who insist the Iraq war continue “stroll” though the Shorja market in Baghdad like Senator John McCain, BUT they should do so without the 100 needed troops, armor and attack helicopters diverted to wasted guard duty on one man if they genuine believe that Bush’s so-called “surge” is working. 

If they actually want voters to see it is “like a normal outdoor market in Indiana” as McCain insists, then let the Chickenhawk candidates do so with no more protection than, say, the average journalist or aid worker.

If they won’t, then we will have further evidence of what lying, unpatriotic, hypocritical cowards they truly are.

[Further irreverences at resistence-is-possible.blogspot.com]

Uh, wasn’t it just last week that McCain was touting the ability of Americans like him to walk throughout Baghdad sans security??? I’m sick to death of these damn liars! Doesn’t anyone care about integrity anymore? Doesn’t anyone walk their talk? Why do we keep electing liars, cheats & thieves?!!

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/04/01/mccain-iraq-stroll/
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/03/27/michael-ware- i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talkin g-about/

McCain Strolls Through Baghdad Market, Accompanied By 100 Soldiers, 3 Blackhawks, 2 Apache Gunships ... wearing body armor, in a pre-selected area with U.S. snipers posted on the roofs.

On “The Situation Room” McCain told Wolf that he needs to “get up to speed” and stop reporting three-month-old news from Iraq. According to McCain, the surge is working! and the streets of Baghdad are safe for Americans to go strolling down.

The only problem?

Michael Ware, who is, ya know, in Baghdad, says McCain hasn’t a clue ...

“Honestly, Wolf, you’ll barely last twenty minutes out there. I don’t know what part of Neverland Senator McCain is talking about when he says we can go strolling in Baghdad.”

Proving that some politicians shouldn’t be allowed out of the house without a responsible adult chaperone.

“Never have I been able to drive from the airport, never have I been able go out into the city as I was today,” McCain said after riding from Baghdad’s airport in an armored vehicle.

“like a normal outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime,” offered Representative Mike Pence.

[Note photo: If that’s what an outdoor market in Indiana looks like ... I think I’ll not go there!]

“The most deeply moving thing for me was to mix and mingle unfettered,” Mr. Pence said.

[Will someone in Indiana please send Pence a Dictionary. A division of armed soldiers on each side, in front and back, 3 Blackhawks, 2 Apache Gunships, snipers and body armor ... not to mention the fence clearly separating the Iraqis from Pence ... is hardly unfettered! The look on the faces of the Iraqis says it all.]

Meanwhile, back on Planet Earth ...

The same day, the U.S. military reported six soldiers were killed in roadside bombings southwest of Baghdad. Four were killed responding to the blast that killed the first two. Britain, meanwhile, announced that one of its soldiers had been shot to death in southern Iraq. Also Sunday, 20 bullet-riddled bodies were found, most in Baghdad.

And ...

CNN’s John Roberts stated, “I checked with General Petraeus’s people overnight and they said he never goes out in anything less than an up-armored humvee.” He added a report by retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey “said no Iraqi government official, coalition soldier, diplomat reporter could walk the streets of Baghdad without heavily armed protection.”

So ...

McCain stepped up to the plate and in typical political fashion denied he’d ever said it was safe to stroll in Bagdad!

But failed to note ...

The U.S. military death toll in March, the first full month of the security crackdown, was nearly twice that of the Iraqi army, which is supposed to be taking the leading role in the attempt to curb violence in the capital.

“Every time the government announces anything — that the electricity is good or the water supply is good — the insurgents come to attack it immediately. “

Which means I suppose we can expect things to deteriate quickly in the market McCain visited.

Perhaps we should send a delegation of smart people to Iraq to explain why we elect people who aren’t.  Perhaps we could explain, in a free country even the dumbbells are allowed to travel and open their mouths.

No ... we’re having enough trouble convincing these folks that they want to be “free” like us.

Perhaps we could just put up a Billboard in Baghdad that say’s:
“Smart people don’t always get elected in our country, so please forgive us.”

An open letter to John McCain:
John, you need to seek professional help, and right now.
If you have to don full body armor and surround yourself with 100+ armed soldiers in humvees and helicopters circling overhead (all costing lord knows how much taxpayer money) to briefly walk through a local market, and then you call that a “normal” situation and an indicator of success for the “surge” and that the security plan for Baghdad is “working”, then you are seriously out of touch with reality.
I am advising everyone I know that a vote for you is a vote for someone with a grave mental illness.
Get help.

McCain lost it when he tolerated Turd Blossum aka Karl Rove/Bush to push poll such vile questions as: “Would you support McCain if he had an illegitimate Black Child?” Turd Blossom playing on his wife’s tan Vietnamesesque skin and Americas love affair with racism proved another winner for Rove and a loss from libertarian veterans like me who would have considered McCain a worthy man.  He should retire and hang out with the other wacky fellow Jerry Falwell.

Americans, ask yourself this. If bombs went off daily in the streets of our cities would we consider them safe to walk?

This is the height of arrogance and egocentricity.  McCain and Pence find nothing reprehensible about using an entire countries’ people as their photo-op for campaign purposes?  This beats the “Mission Accomplished” banner by far.  It made me physically sick to read this article.  The shame I feel for just sharing space with these people is really starting to get me down.

Let’s merchants at Baghdad market place object him ! The U.S. presidental candidate value is very low at market place. Sorry for those who support him !

I am SHOCKED! McCain must be suffering from the same debilitating disease as Bush! I would ask if they think the American public is THAT STUPID but, thanks to the fanatic religious right, we ARE!! At least that is the impression we,as a country, are showing to the world! We are in such a deep hole internationally I fear we will never dig our way out. Well, we had our chance for 200+ years and blew it!!

To get the nomination, Mccain believes he needs dirty politics, big business & people who are used to believing what they are told if it’s what they want to hear.  He couldn’t beat ‘em so he joined ‘em.

We’ll never again know what he really thinks.

What a field day for all involved! All except the soldiers who had to secure the perimeter and take the heat so the McCain campaign can have some patriotic footage for the upcoming run for the White House.

It seems that many voters and campaign contributors are not supporting McCain’s positions about Iraq, according to news reports.

Something about McCain seems to just not ring true for people ... something doesn’t seem right.

The invasion and occupation of Iraq is proving to be a serious and complex test of the American people, our elected leaders and the international community.

For more on this, see:

“Intelligence, psychology and human heart: All are needed for success in war and peace”

PopulistAmerica.com
Populist Party of America
March 31, 2007

http://www.populistamerica.com/intelligence_psychology _and_human_heart

John McCain’s cheap, amateur theatricals at Baghdad’s central market with Representitive Mike Pence as sycophantic stage-hand proved nothing. Nothing except that McCain has clearly been taken over by a state of mind defined as a fixed false belief that is resistant to reason or confrontation with actual fact.

McCain, and the rest of that justifiably nervous little Congressional delegation, could easily have been seriously confronted by actual fact but for the massive security involved. What else suffered militarily for U.S. troops in Baghdad while an entire company with air support babysat this pompous and deceitful spectacle?

McCain and Pence should be ashamed of themselves. But it seems they lack even the simple common sense for that.

McCain has to be mentally unstable. He, like his mentor Bush, are both delusional. How can anyone with a shred of intelligence support the likes of McCain? McCain, like Bush, both think that if they say it, then it must be true regardless if the facts point in the opposite direction. Wake up people! Haven’t we had enough lies and deceit with this current administration? Is McCain the type of person we want to see as Commander in Chief of our armed forces? Maybe we should ask the troops who are there serving in Iraq for their views on how safe the streets of Iraq are for not only Americans, but for the average Iraqi citizen.