Who knew Bush would actually be crazy enough to do it?
Washington Post:
Although the Bush administration last week finally embraced his long-standing call to send more troops to Iraq, [Sen. John] McCain believes the way it has handled the war "will go down as one of the worst" mistakes in the history of the American military.
"One of the most frustrating things that's ever happened in my political life," he said, "is watching this train wreck."
McCain, an all-but-announced presidential candidate, offered those assessments toward the end of a lengthy interview Thursday night. No politician in the United States is more clearly identified with President Bush's new policy, and no politician has more to lose if it fails. Democratic opponents have already coined a name for the troop "surge": the McCain Doctrine.
Some observers have wondered if McCain just threw escalation out there because he was certain it wouldn't happen. That way, when the smoke cleared and Iraq was lost, he could claim that everything would've worked out great if Bush had just listened to him.
As it is, John McCain is stuck with an incredibly unpopular plan going into an all but certain presidential run. Like President Bush, McCain has put everything on one last roll of the dice. Unlike Bush, McCain has a political future on the line.
Tags: news | politics | war | iraq | John McCain | Bush | disaster | republican | 2008
