""Yes, I worry about it," McCain said. "And I know they pay attention because of the intercepts we have of their communications … " Senator John McCain
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Members of Congress have access to classified material by virtue of their constitutional office. He ought to know better than to say something like this. pl
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1418633520080314
Sorry to post in the wrong place, but what are your thoughts on Fallon’s resignation? As I’ve argued in my blog, I don’t think it means war with Iran is more likely, but I’m anxiously awaiting your take on it.
Colonel,
what you say is true, but we are also being bombarded all too frequently by the current bush white house which discloses classified information for their political purposes. while the president has the authority to declassify and post to the public domain, i have serious doubts that every piece of classified info that the current bush white house has disclosed has met that standard.
both seem more concerned about ‘political points’ versus protecting sources and methods.
Yes, quite dumb. He should have stuck to Gen. Renuart’s characterization.
Binh
“Binh” as in “Long Binh?” Fallon? This administration, like most others prefers “yes men.”
His departure means little with regard to Iran. He had already bee “wired out” of the contingency planning for Iran. pl
J
This violation of security with regard to SIGINT product is actually a criminal offense, and should be.
This has nothing to do with the Bushies’ propaganda (IO) campaigns. pl
Glad to see you mention this – the same thought occurred to me, as did the similarity of this comment to so much of the selective intel spilled for political reasons by the Bush administration. A sign of political opportunism and poor judgement by McCain.
I keep waiting for Benny Hill to show up and start tapping Sen. McCain on the head. Then, alot of pretty girls chase them both away.
Oops.
More evidence that McCain is a loose cannon, which may ultimately deep-six him.
McCain from the kinked article, “We have achieved enormous success but they are still a very viable and tough enemy. There is no doubt in my mind that the surge is succeeding. Thank God for Gen. (David) Petraeus, one of the greatest generals in American history.”
Greatest general in American history?
He should know better than to shovel out this sort of BS as well.
The guy has either lost his mind and/or sense of decency and integrity.
Imo, this is Giuliani-esque fear-mongering, and McCain is just acting out the diminished scruples of his party, who have demonstrated that there is no level they won’t stoop under, in an effort to remain in power (remember when it was a grave crime to out an undercover CIA operative?)
On a rational level, this is purely a ‘no sh*t’ statement, afaic. Of course AQ, along with other unfriendlies are following the presidential election, and i’m sure they’d like to make a hit on us if they could–however, it strains credulity to believe that AQ somehow fears McCain enough to try to engineer his downfall in the election–not to mention that the Republican party has been AQ’s biggest boosters these past 7 years!
On another level, you gotta appreciate the rich irony of a hostile foreign entity attempting to undermine a US elections–it’s been a CIA specialty for generations.
Actually, the more serious political risk for McCain is that he may become to be perceived to be like the crazy uncle in the Cary Grant movie, Arsenic and Old Lace, who thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt, blows his bugle, cries “Charge!,” and dashes upstairs.
re Kinder’s ‘perceived to be like the crazy uncle’ comment:
McCain is already on the edge of that precipice. Maverick is on side of that coin; crazy uncle on the other.
The first TV ad of McCain’s I saw featured TR and Winston Churchill separated by swirling nebulae.
Undoubtedly, these two worthys were chosen because McCain believed that their ‘juju’ would rub off on him.
The problem with that is that you have to be McCain’s age or older to even recognize TR or Churchill let alone what positive attributes they might have that are shared by McCain.
It’s hard to not infer from these and other actions that McCain’s judgment both as a legislator and presidential candidate has a “General Bullmoose” quality to it. What’s good for McCain is good for the country and the devil take the hindmost.
General Bullmoose was created by the cartoonist Al Capp to satirize Engine Charlie Wilson, Eisenhower’s SecDef, who is supposed to have said this during his Senate confirmation hearing.
Apocryphal or not, to this point, McCain’s maverick side has been winning out. As Kinder wonders, however, and as his lapses in judgment grow more gross, can ‘crazy uncle’ be far behind?
Disgraceful and cynical lapse in judgment. But not one he’ll be punished for. Whether McCain can pull 10-15% of the voting middle back into the embers of the neocon fantasy remains to be seen.
However, AQ would probably hope for a hawk and also hope for the prospect of said Hawk stirring up the hornet’s nest. I figure AQ is getting their money’s worth as the US heads toward the economic cliff’s edge.
What’s cynical is to be in the ‘victory is the only option camp’ without daring to specify what lies beyond the rest period the surge provides for.
There should be ways to hold all the candidate’s feet to the fire on what the future holds now that Iraq is thoroughly factionalized, cleansed; this while it is possible that Sunni and Shi’a fighters are provisioning themselves for a future cage match.
None of the candidates seem to be willing to speak of reality, present and grim future.
Colonel,
to answer your question regarding my name – Binh means peace in Vietnamese, and it is the name given to me by my father. Many provinces (and people) are named Binh because Vietnam was at war with France, itself, and then the United States for a good thirty years or so before the Communists won. Hence the popularity of my name.
This was certainly a no s**t comment. Al Qaeda is watching TV? Really?
Since this was part of a self-important political stunt, equal to what they call an unfalsifiable theory in Philosophy of Science, McCain would probably have said something along those lines to gain credibility for his conspiracy theory whether it’s true or not.
The unfalsifiable conspiracy theory is twofold: By hinting at classified intercepts, McCain continues the “trust us because we know something you don’t, because it’s better for you that way, which is why we could tell you but then we would have to send you to Gitmo” PR style of the current admin.
But it also renders his own judgment unassailable: If Iraq remains quiet, McCain was right and sage all along, which is why he is the guy we want
answering the Red Phone. If Iraq deteriorates, it’s an Al Qaeda plot to keep him from becoming Commander-in-Chief, because even they know he is guy we would want answering the Red Phone.
As long as that win-win message gets across, who cares if McCain can tell Sunni, Shiite, Extremist Al Qaeda, Gook apart when Joe Liberman is not around
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/03/18/a_mccain_gaffe_in_jordan.html
Never forget the formative experience of becoming a single-seat fighter pilot. Where is the wing-man when needed?