Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Why McCain shouldn't be president

I think it's pretty safe to say that Americans are no longer supportive of the war in Iraq. People who once felt it was crucial to our security to find weapons of mass destruction now wonder exactly what we're still doing now that no weapons have been found. I personally was alway against the war so I'm even more frustrated by McCain's lack of planning to remove troops from Iraq.
The Associated Press recently released a story about an ad that highlights McCain's plans for Iraq. The ad was made by VoteVets.org and features the voice of Iraq war veteran Brandon Woods. In the ad he says "What did we fight for in Iraq? I have some idea. I fought in Operation Iraqi Freedom. And 'freedom' means when the Iraqi people and their Prime Minister ask us to make a plan to leave, we do. But Senator McCain would occupy Iraq indefinitely, against their wishes. That's not what freedom means. That's not what we fought for. Senator, I thought you would know better."
Woods not only accuses the senator of not having a plan to remove the troops but he also tells him his plans should be different because he too is a veteran and should know when to stop a war. From what I can see, his criticism is completely valid since McCain has declined to state a specific target date for pulling out the troops. He has also stated that Al-Qaida is not yet defeated but he hasn't given any examples of how Al-Qaida is showing that it's still active.
Obama on the other hand, has said he wants the troops to be out of Iraq in 16 months, which is around the same time Iraqi officials had suggested. It also gives the American people an idea of when this craziness will end. People like to be given exact dates, it makes them feel good inside, makes us feel secure. Maybe McCain is afraid of giving dates because he's afraid of not being able to meet the goals, but it at least gives the administration something to strive for.
We're in a war that most of America is now against but McCain won't satisfy what the American people want. Why would we want a president that doesn't listen to what we're asking for? Seems clear to me that McCain is NOT the right choice.

full story:
Ad hits McCain on troop pullout