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McCain Dishes, Casey Takes, Bush Ducks
Round one in today's Casey-McCain fight definitely went to John McCain.
As the clip Josh posted on TPM shows, the Arizona hawk laid the Iraq albatross squarely around Casey's neck, referring to him as "one of the individuals who has been an architect of U.S. military strategy in Iraq." Never mind that Casey only became theater commander a year into the war, and that in his previous roles as Army Vice Chief of Staff and Joint Staff planning director, he was a marginal figure in the Rumsfeld Pentagon. Casey, for his part, didn't object. And that set the tone for the entire hearing: McCain slipped in the shiv, and Casey took the pain. Neither President Bush nor ex-Defense Secretary Rumsfeld made more than cameo appearances in the narratives spun today.
Casey made for an ideal villain. McCain accurately described his predictions during his 30-month command as "unrealistically rosy." Today was no different. He took quiet exception to Bush's televised description of Casey's strategy as "maybe a slow failure," arguing instead to Sen. John Warner (R-VA), "I actually don't see it as slow failure, I see it as slow progress." And responding to Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Casey contended that most of Iraq is peaceful.
The general confused nearly everyone in the room by trying to square his November assessment (that Baghdad needed no additional troops) with his December assessment (that Baghdad could use an additional two combat brigades) with his current assessment (that five brigades is just right). He settled on the line that the extra three brigades should be used "in reserve" to provide General David Petraeus, the incoming theater commander, with "flexibility." An exasperated Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) remarked that "it's almost like I'm hearing two different wars being described." While it's still difficult to imagine Casey not getting confirmed, only Warner and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) explicitly offered their support.
And that's where an honest hearing would have made more than a cursory mention of who the president of the United States is. Casey didn't decide to change his position for no reason. For over a year, Bush claimed Casey's train-Iraqis-first strategy as his own -- and, as Casey was quick to point out today, the new escalation strategy still relies on that effort beyond the short term. What changed, as Senator Jack Reed pointed out, is that "there was an election." When the public repudiated Bush on the war via his GOP proxies, Bush began looking to shake up his Iraq strategy, and Casey miraculously realized he was open to more troops after all. Now that Bush has replaced Casey and favored escalation, Casey dutifully favors escalation. It doesn't reflect well on Casey that he's been supine. But it does reflect the basic reality of the situation, which is that Bush is still Bush. Unfortunately, McCain and his colleagues went a long way toward obscuring that reality this morning.
Comments (32)
Yep wrote on February 1, 2007 3:28 PM:McCain's a piece of shit. And the American voting public isn't dumb enough to fall for his double-talk.
Redshift wrote on February 1, 2007 3:30 PM:Casey contended that most of Iraq is peaceful.
Most of the house is not on fire, so everything's going pretty well.
ApplePie wrote on February 1, 2007 3:36 PM:Never trust anyone who wants something so much that he'll twist himself into a pretzel to attain it. That is McCain to a T. He wants to be President so badly that he is pandering BIG time to the religious right as well as he recently hired the same staffers who smeared him in the last election. Now he acts as if the Iraq War failure isn't the fault of the blatent pre-war lies and post invasion incompetance by Tommy Franks, Rummy, Bremer, Cheney & Bush. Is this who you want as your next President?
Headline Junky wrote on February 1, 2007 3:44 PM:Shinseki & Casey: Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Only difference being, this time, the fall guy is falling up.
JophnW wrote on February 1, 2007 4:37 PM:I'm disappointed in many of our generals who seem to value their jobs more than the truth or GI lives.
Jay Severin Has A Small Pen1s wrote on February 1, 2007 4:38 PM:These hearings just embolden our enemies.
Does this mean McCain is going to vote to confirm Casey?
JohnW wrote on February 1, 2007 4:39 PM:Make that "JohnW" not JophnW
Mitch wrote on February 1, 2007 4:49 PM:..."McCain's a piece of shit. And the American voting public isn't dumb enough to fall for his double-talk..."
Someone once said; "You'll never go broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public".
Alone, I stand united against collectivism.
Punchy wrote on February 1, 2007 5:03 PM:I agree with JohnW. It's beyond disappointing--it's disgusting--that our Generals will, quite literally, say ANYTHING to keep their job, soliders' lives and America's fate be dammed.
Our generals dont run the military; they act as spokesmen and yesmen for a uncontrollable madman. At what point do they cease to sleep at night?
mary wrote on February 1, 2007 5:04 PM:I was just reading an article about why Arendt matters (in the London Review of Books, I think?) in which the author of the piece argued that recent books on Arendt completely ignore two areas of her thought that seem most relevant today: her distrust of Zionism and her conviction that careerism is very, very bad for democracy. I don't know about anyone else, but these days I see the ill effects of careerism everywhere I look.
Mrs Panstreppon wrote on February 1, 2007 5:36 PM:How did military genius, General David Petraeus, do training and equipping the Iraqi army? Remember General Petraeus? - He's the one who told Newsday in 2005 that corruption in the Iraq Ministry of Defense wasn't any of our business after the defense minister stole almost a billion dollars.
And what's up with the FBI's investigation of the Chief of the Air Force, Gen. T. Michael "Buzz" Moseley and retired Chief of the Air Force, General John Jumper, for illegally steering a $50 million contract to retired General Hal Hornburg's client, Strategic Message Solution?
$450 billion a year and all we get for our money is a bunch of losers.
sglover wrote on February 1, 2007 6:07 PM:I don't think a guy in Casey's position has very much choice but to fall on his sword. It's McCain who's the real dishonest sack of shit here.
JOHN KERRY wrote on February 1, 2007 6:30 PM:I JUST MOVED MY BOWELS IN MY PANTS!
mary ellen meli wrote on February 1, 2007 6:48 PM:When Bush promotes anyone, you know the must be incompetent, but no matter they were loyal. This Casey is really the worst, he's clueless about so many things I was stunned. Guaranteed he'll be confirmed anyway. All this is a dog and pony show. I wonder how anyone can think there's a chance of success in Iraq. So hell, let's do Iran now. We've got Keystone Cops in charge.
The worst part of having these loyal losers in charge is the scam job on us. New Orleans is still a cesspool with thousands still struggling to rebuild, the 9/11 first responders in NYC who are dying were thrown a bone of 25 million for their health care, yet 100 million was wasted on a bogus police academy in Iraq that is literally crumbling down. It's not useable.
The reality of America is this: we have Zionists (Wolfowitz, Crystal, Feith, Perle) and contractors (Cheney) setting our foreign policy, and a used car salesman to pitch it. This is a bad dream that goes on and on and on.
Ed wrote on February 1, 2007 10:32 PM:Mitch, it was H.L. Mencken who said it, though, it was "taste" not "intelligence."
However, whether it is taste or intelligence it amounts to the same thing!
H.L. Mencken also wrote:
"As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people.
On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
H. L. Mencken,
brooksfoe wrote on February 2, 2007 12:47 AM:Baltimore Sun, July 26, 1920
Ed and Mitch: why do you hate America?
Oh. Yeah, there was that. And...yeah, I forgot about that. And the other thing.
Fair 'nuff
Mary wrote on February 2, 2007 8:42 AM:Maybe this was just a loyalty test for the good General. Would he take the heat for the boss sort of thing. Bush is all about personal patriotism.
Morgan wrote on February 2, 2007 10:14 AM:If the good General gave a damn about the terrible price we are paying in blood and treasure in Iraq he would have retired, then spoken the truth before a Senate inquiry. Instead he is being promoted which also insures that he will NOT be writing a book or making speeches that would harm Bush. The posturing by McCain and Graham is sickening. If effect they are telling us Casey is a toady general unable to fight a war
Frank wrote on February 2, 2007 10:33 AM:but what the heck we'll give him the job anyway. And our young people are dying for these clowns??
Watching Casey on Cspan was upsetting. He did not strike me as being the sharpest tool in the shed. Has any general been In Iraq longer than he has? Is there no accountability in the generalship presiding over the greastest disaster this nation has faced? Can anyone tell me how many generals publicly resigned because of Bush's stupendis blunder?
McCain will certainly vote no on Casey's nomination. While I consider McCain a tragic figure in politics, perceiving that his presidential ambition seems to trump self respect, I agree with his predicted "no" vote.
Morgan wrote on February 2, 2007 11:17 AM:McCain may vote "no" - but it is too late. He and other Republicans in Congress would have known long ago whether or not Casey is incompetent. Congressional Republicans had COMPLETE control of our national budget/agenda neither McCain nor his cohorts made any effort to change military leadership in Iraq. Because McCain and they didn't, he is posturing. Generals don't resign, they retire. Yes, some who were involved in this war have retired, then spoken out against the war. Somehow, somewhere in this debate someone HAS to care about the blood ours and Iraqi, that continues to spill in this futile unnecessary war.
JOe wrote on February 2, 2007 9:21 PM:McCain's a piece of shit. And the American voting public isn't dumb enough to fall for his double-talk.
You were right on your first point, but wrong on your second one.
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