McCain's statement on Iraq Study Group report

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Dec. 6, 2006 07:10 PM

SENATOR McCAIN STATEMENT ON IRAQ STUDY GROUP REPORT



Washington, DC - U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today made the following statement on the release of the Iraq Study Group's final report:

"I appreciate the hard work and thought that the distinguished members of the Iraq Study Group put into their final report. There are some recommendations contained in the report that deserve serious consideration, and all Americans should heed the ISG's warning that failure in Iraq could have severe consequences - for Iraq, the United States, the region, and the world.

"At the same time, however, I have some real concerns with a number of the Group's recommendations:

Arab-Israeli Peace: The report embraces the idea that peace between Arabs and Israelis - which, the report states, can only be achieved through land for peace - is a necessary element of success in Iraq. All of us desire peace in the region and peace between Arabs and Israelis. But it is impossible to see how such a peace can be achieved so long as Hamas, a terrorist group that rejects a two-state solution and the very existence of Israel, stands at the helm of the Palestinian Authority. We must not push our Israeli ally to make concessions to groups that refuse to recognize its right to exist.

In addition, the linkage the ISG report makes between this issue and the violence in Iraq seems tenuous at best. While I desire peace for Israel in its own right, it is difficult to see how an Arab-Israeli peace process will diminish Sunni-Shia violence in Baghdad or al Qaeda activity in Anbar Province.

Regional conference: The report recommends the establishment of a regional diplomatic conference on Iraq, to include Iran and Syria. We must be both cautious and realistic about what Iranian and Syrian participation is likely to achieve. Our interests in Iraq diverge significantly from those of Damascus and Tehran, and this is unlikely to change under the current regimes. I do not object to reasonable efforts that might modify these countries' behavior in Iraq, but if the price of their cooperation is an easing of pressure on Tehran over its nuclear ambitions, or on Damascus over the Syrian role in Lebanon, then that price is too high.

Troops in Baghdad: I applaud the ISG's endorsement of a surge of American combat forces to stabilize Baghdad. Such a step is long overdue. But the coalition should not characterize such a redeployment as "short-term" or place a timetable on its presence. Our troops should be sent to Baghdad - or anywhere in Iraq - in order to complete a defined mission, not to serve until some predetermined date passes. By placing a limited timeframe on our military commitments, we would only induce Iraqis to side with militias that will stay indefinitely, rather than with the U.S. and Government of Iraq. Such a step would only complicate our considerable difficulties.

"In addition, I agree with the report's emphasis on an internal Iraqi political settlement that can bring the various sects and groups together. But security is the necessary precondition for a political settlement, and Iraq will continue to suffer pervasive insecurity so long as there is an insufficient number of security forces on the ground. Iraq requires not only politicians willing to make difficult choices, but also clear signals that the government is the sole source of authority in the country. Only by cracking down on independent militias, reducing criminal and terrorist activity, and protecting the population and key infrastructure - none of which can be accomplished without more troops - can a political settlement begin to take hold."

McCain for Devos.

From Sen. John McCain:  “Senator Kerry owes an apology to the many thousands of Americans serving in Iraq, who answered their country's call because they are patriots and not because of any deficiencies in their education.  Americans from all backgrounds, well off and less fortunate, with high school diplomas and graduate degrees, take seriously their duty to our country, and risk their lives today to defend the rest of us in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.  They all deserve our respect and deepest gratitude for their service.  The suggestion that only the least educated Americans would agree to serve in the military and fight in Iraq, is an insult to every soldier serving in combat, and should deeply offend any American with an ounce of appreciation for what they suffer and risk so that the rest of us can sleep more comfortably at night. Without them, we wouldn't live in a country where people securely possess all their God-given rights, including the right to express insensitive, ill-considered and uninformed remarks.” 

McCain is blasting this quote from John Kerry:

“You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.” -- John Kerry

Senator John McCain was in Michigan again today campaigning for local candidates.  He stopped by a particularly important state house seat in Michigan’s UP and helped out candidate Jay Duggan.  Article.  The local races in Michigan have been particularly difficult this year because of millions of Stryker dollars which have been injected into state Democrat races.  Hopefully, Senator McCain’s star power will help out Duggan, and in turn help us keep a majority in the Michigan House this year.

FoxNews Poll shows McCain leading Obama among voters:  Article.

I thought this was an important article to read.  Article.  John McCain isn't in this just for himself like so many candidates, he's out there spending his campaign money and his time to make sure Republicans do well during this midterm.  Instead of distancing himself from the party which is under a lot of pressure, he's tried to use his popularity to bring as many Republicans back to DC as possible.  Whether you like John McCain or not, I think all Republicans should admire and thank him for all the work he is doing for our party when we need him most around the country.

http://www.anklebitingpundits.com/content/index.php?p=943

Hotline is reporting that Mike Fair has signed onto McCain's '08 PAC.  Mike Fair is a "strong, strong conservative," in SC.  Article

There are a lot of big stories in Michigan this week.  First and most importantly, the Tigers are headed to the World Series!  Somewhat less impressively, the Lions won their first game of the year, bringing their record to 1-5.
Last night, Dick Devos gave his best performance of his three debates against Granholm.  Devos finally looked comfortable, really sticking the issues to Granholm.  Granholm looked flustered and came across as phony and perhaps even downright mean.  I think the debate will really help Devos across the state, and give him a boost in these last three weeks.  I’d be shocked if Granholm gets another term.
The Bouchard campaign is gaining momentum as Sheriff Bouchard made Stabenow look silly in their first and only televised debate.  The comment I have heard most often about that debate was that Stabenow looked completely lost.  After her extremely poor performance, it doesn’t surprise me that Stabenow won’t agree to another televised debate.  Michigan has a long history of incumbents losing 20 or more points in the last couple weeks or days of a campaign, so there is quite a bit of excitement and history on the side of the Bouchard campaign.   www.mikeformichigan.com
I know that similar events have been going on throughout the country, and the news on McCain today is basically that he is working extremely hard by traveling throughout the country to give our candidates a much needed boost.  Yesterday he was in WV campaigning for Wakim, and today he is in WI campaigning for another Republican congressional candidate to replace Green who is running for governor of that great state.

Senator John McCain is way up in a poll among Republicans in N.H.  He leads the way with 32% while Rudi was the closest to him with 19%.  Article.  This reinforces my point that conservative Republicans need to back McCain, or possibly end up with a pro-choice Republican nominee.

Senator McCain was in Michigan today co-hosting a townhall style meeting with Senate candidate Mike Bouchard.  McCain has always been very popular in Michigan, so it seemed like a great move on Bouchard’s part to bring McCain in for an event.  Bouchard looked solid and posed as always- he was particularly strong in his insistence on a televised debate with Senator Stabenow.  Senator McCain was on target during the meeting- fielding very tough questions from the audience and handling them with ease.  Perhaps the most impressive part, for me anyway (because I seem to have no ability whatsoever to talk to liberals), was when McCain at one point was going back and forth with a very pro-environment woman who wanted to pin him down on global warming.  He fired back that the only way to significantly cut down on our emissions is through using nuclear power- which clearly made her uncomfortable.  Instead of moving on like most politicians do, he let her continue her question by asking about wind and water alternatives.  He then pointed out that he was in favor of them, but that they would never, unless made much more efficient, be able to handle much of the energy load.

The conservatives I talked to seemed impressed with him as well, as he outlined a very clear and strong stance on North Korea, while also addressing their concerns about his illegal immigration stances head-on.  Usually when faced with an unfavorable question, politicians tend to dance away from it and move on.  Senator McCain seemed to cherish the hardest and most aggressive questions, including some grilling from conservatives on his illegal immigration stance.  In general, it went very well, especially because it was followed up by a press conference slamming the Clintons.

John McCain stopped by Michigan this morning to stump for Senate candidate Mike Bouchard.  After the event, Senator McCain talked to the media about North Korea: "Prior to the agreement, every single time the Clinton Administration warned the Koreans not to do something -- not to kick out the IAEA inspectors, not to remove the fuel rods from their reactor -- they did it. And they were rewarded every single time by the Clinton Administration with further talks. We had a carrots and no sticks policy that only encouraged bad behavior. When one carrot didn't work, we offered another."  Article.

ALEXANDRIA, VA - Today Straight Talk America announced that 24 Michigan Republican grassroots leaders have joined to form the PAC’s Michigan Grassroots Leadership Team.

“We are building the strongest Republican grassroots political organization that has ever been organized in Michigan,” said Michigan Republican Party Vice Chairman Gerry Mason. “Although most of us supported George W. Bush in 2000, we are working very closely with Senator McCain to help elect Republicans in 2006 and beyond.”

The Michigan Grassroots Leadership Team includes two state GOP vice chairmen, the state GOP secretary, four GOP district chairmen, thirteen county GOP chairmen, and three statewide elected officials. The complete team is listed below.

“I am honored by the assistance we are receiving from grassroots leaders across the state of Michigan,” said Senator McCain. “We appreciate their hard work and look forward to working together to help elect Republicans in 2006.”

The statewide elected officials on the Grassroots Leadership Team are nominated at the Michigan Republican Convention and elected statewide on the general election ballot. The state GOP secretary, vice chairmen, and district GOP chairman are elected to their party positions at the convention. County chairmen are elected at county party meetings.

Straight Talk America Michigan Grassroots Leadership Team

Gerry Mason, Michigan GOP Vice Chairman
Andrew Wendt, Michigan GOP Vice Chairman

Dee Cook, Michigan State University Trustee
Melanie Foster, Michigan State University Trustee
Eileen Weiser, State Board of Education Member

Hank Fuhs, Michigan GOP Secretary

Pattie Garrett Schneider, 1st District GOP Chairman
Mike Troutman, 7th District GOP Chairman
Ed Joseph, 13th District GOP Chairman
Bill Beddoes, 14th District GOP Chairman

Gerry Hildenbrand, Allegan County GOP Chairman
Ann Steiner, Antrim County Chairman
Scott Durham, Calhoun County GOP Chairman
John Haggard, Charlevoix County GOP Chairman
Julie LaCost, Dickinson County GOP Chairman
Geraldine Burt, Gogebic County GOP Chairman
William Reilly, Iosco County GOP Chairman
Libby Child, Kent County GOP Chairman
Karl Hascall, Kent County GOP Co-Chairman
Doreen Takalo, Marquette County GOP Chairman
Charles Mulholland, Montcalm County GOP Chairman
Juanita Pierman, Oceana County GOP Chairman
Ken Shapely, Saginaw County GOP Chairman
Ann Hyde, Wexford County GOP Chairman

Another week, another Lions loss.  The most notable story of the weekend was John McCain speaking at the Conservative Party’s conference in England.  Article.  I thought there were a few notable things in this speech.  First, Senator McCain talked about trying to increase communication between conservatives in the US and those in Europe.  I think this is a great idea.  The conservative movement is sweeping Europe, with conservative parties winning in Sweden, Germany and Poland this summer, along with doing better in England.  If we could actually start working together with them on a regular basis, maybe we could finally start getting back some of the ground we’ve lost to liberals throughout Europe and in the US over the past 50 years.  McCain also told the British Conservatives to learn from President Reagan- hero of the conservative movement in the US.