John McCain's Change Of Heart

Daily Kos

Did McCain Cause 9/11?

by mcjoan

Tue May 01, 2007 at 06:13:18 PM PDT

Remember this?

In 1993, Sen. John McCain led an effort to cut off funds immediately for military operations in Somalia after a firefight in Mogadishu killed 18 U.S. troops. The former prisoner of war in Vietnam brought a hush to the chamber floor when he asked what would happen if Congress failed to act and more Americans died.

"On whose hands rest the blood of American troops? Ask yourself this question," said McCain, R-Ariz.

Here's what he had to say about an immediate withdrawal from Haiti:

"In my view that does not mean as soon as order is restored to Haiti. It does not mean as soon as democracy is flourishing in Haiti. It does not mean as soon as we have established a viable nation in Haiti. As soon as possible means as soon we can get out of Haiti without losing any American lives."

Now McCain is saying that, in Iraq, a withdrawal is like sending a "memo to our enemies to let them know when they can operate again." That's quite the reversal in opinion. Does McCain's war support depend entirely upon who started the war? It would seem so. McCain doesn't appreciate having this flip-flop pointed out, however.

Matt David, McCain's campaign spokesman, said it is "intellectually dishonest" to compare Iraq to Haiti and Somalia because of the volatility now in the Middle East and terrorist threat.

"Haitians and Somalians do not want to follow us home and attack us on American soil," David said in a statement.

Now that's interesting. Does that mean McCain doesn't believe al Qaeda was in Somalia? The 9/11 Commission would beg to differ [pdf]:

Bin Ladin said in his ABC interview that he and his followers had been preparing in Somalia for another long struggle, like that against the Soviets in Afghanistan, but "the United States rushed out of Somalia in shame and disgrace." Citing the Soviet army’s withdrawal from Afghanistan as proof that a ragged army of dedicated Muslims could overcome a superpower, he told the interviewer:"We are certain that we shall—with the grace of Allah—prevail
over the Americans."He went on to warn that "If the present injustice continues . . . , it will inevitably move the battle to American soil."      More HERE

Tags: John McCain Iraq Somalia withdrawal