In a speech on Thursday McCain asserted there was a good chance we could have combat troops under his command out of Iraq by 2013 but that we would still be there in a non-combat role. 2013? I defy anyone to predict Iraq 5 months from now, much less 5 years from now.
He’s not the first politician to think of doing this, but he’s clearly pandering here. He’s offering an at least sort of concrete day to try to mollify moderates that might be inclined to support him but are put off by his full throated defense of this war and who want our boys (and girls) out of harms’ way pronto, while also not doing a complete 180 and saying we will be out of Iraq by Date X irregardless. If I had to guess, I would assume McCain hated himself for giving this speech, but he calculated it was something he had to do. At least it doesn’t violate his “straight talk” mantra because it is properly ladeled with caveats.
The bottom line is Iraq is a very messy situation, one I frankly thought and think we should have never entered to begin with. But now that we are there, we have to try to find a way to end the engagement properly. I cringe when politicians (usually Democrats) throw around firm “we should just leave now” or “we should leave by Date X” type statements, because that would be the heigth of irresponsibility, would leave Iraq a hopeless body doomed to collapse, and would give the terrorist elements that are in Iraq now a goalline to hold onto to wait us out. What we need to is find a way to get a government, hopefully pro-western and democratic, on its feet so it has a chance to sink or swim on its merits and then pull out in a controlled and rational fashion. That might be doable in a year or two. It might take awhile. We can’t stand for it to take forever, but we have invested too much blood and treasure already to not try to do it right.
For fuller accounting of the speech itself:
