Iraq Lies and the Lying Liars who Tell Them

Here is the McCain quote that the Dems and the Obama Fan Club (aka the press), are using to simplistically claim that McCain is changing his position and agreeing with Obama, "proving" Mr. Obama right:

“He said it’s a pretty good timetable based on conditions on the ground,” Mr. McCain said. “I think it’s a pretty good timetable, as we should — or horizons for withdrawal. But they have to be based on conditions on the ground. This success is very fragile. It’s incredibly impressive, but very fragile. So we know, those of us who have been involved in it for many years, know that if we reverse this, by setting a date for withdrawal, all of the hard-won victory can be reversed.”

LIE #1: Obama was right all along about withdrawing:
Obama and his Iraq 16-month timetable "plan" is like a three year old playing with crayons who accidentally spells the word "cat" among his random scrawlings. "Oh, Look honey, our little wonder kid is a genius!"

Responsible adults have known all along that at some point in time we would be 16 months (or 12 months, or 2 years) away from withdrawing. Unlike Mr. Obama, responsible adults have also said that a departure must be based on conditions on the ground.

Mr. Obama has been all timeline all the time: withdraw, pull-out, retreat, regardless of conditions on the ground. His reasoning seems to be that we are just making the situation worse. The surge has eroded the basis for that thinking, but some still cling to it.

Mr. McCain's position has been stay in it to win it. The surge has made it possible to now envision Mr. Obama's 16 Month timeline. Obama is the blind squirrel that found an acorn.

LIE #2: The Surge had nothing to do with the Sunni Awakening:
The Sunni Awakening had tenuous fits and starts before the surge, but it was not solidly consolidated until American firepower rolled in and convinced the Anbar Sunnis we were serious about a protective partnership. Google the news and you will see that even after the surge started early in 2007, nervous tribal chiefs were backing away and threatening to rejoin our enemies because they initially doubted our sincerity.

LIE #3: The Mahdi Army defeat was a "truce" that had nothing to do with the surge:
If we had followed Obama's timeline, we would now be out of Iraq. Does anybody seriously think the Mahdi Army would not now be doing the Jihadi Jig all over Iraq, drilling holes in the heads of their infidel Sunni enemies and seizing control of government? The Mahdi army got a good old fashioned butt whoopin' at the hands of the Iraqi Army we trained and now support.

Iraq is also meeting 15 of the 18 benchmarks congress set for them. Looks like the Iraqis are standing up as we stand down. Hmmm... Where have we heard that before?

Conclusion
McCain has agreed with Gen Petraeus all along that we should leave based on conditions on the ground. Policies developed by Gen Petreaus and boosted by McCain have brought Iraq to a point where we may just be able to pull much of our forces out in 16 months.

Meanwhile, during the last year and a half as this was playing out, Obama has been scrawling "16-months" with his crayon and saying the surge would fail. And now, Mr. Obama and his Hallelujah Choir in the press claim that he is right on Iraq?

That's Audacity!