The McCain Doctrine
posted by Liberal Eagle at 1:36 PM
Former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) deserves a serious look in the 2008 primaries. He showed part of why again when, seemingly off the cuff during an interview (but who knows), he called the idea of escalating the war in Iraq "the McCain Doctrine."
I hope it sticks. McCain is, of course, the uberhawk who's always being called a centrist for some reason I've never understood. And he's been pushing for sending 20,000-30,000 more troops into Iraq for months, now.
Given McCain's obvious presidential aspirations, and the obvious extreme unpopularity of the Iraq occupation, this was either 1) a statement of pure principle (unlikely, since McCain seems to have violated nearly every principle I associate with him in his effort to play nice with the insane right-wing fringe), or 2) a political calculation. The latter theory goes like this: McCain judged that Bush would never actually send in more troops, so when things inevitably continue going to a hot place in a handbasket there, McCain can say that if we'd done it his way it would have worked.
You see that strategy, sometimes, on both sides: you propose something you know won't become actual policy, but which is (or sounds plausibly like) a better idea than the status quo, so later you can claim to have been the one with better judgment.
The problem is it looks like Bush is actually going to do it. And if McCain is closely associated with the escalation of a tremedously unpopular conflict, that's a big hurdle in 2008. The tag also has the advantage of being true--McCain's been pushing this longer than anyone.
The McCain Doctrine. Pass it on.
I hope it sticks. McCain is, of course, the uberhawk who's always being called a centrist for some reason I've never understood. And he's been pushing for sending 20,000-30,000 more troops into Iraq for months, now.
Given McCain's obvious presidential aspirations, and the obvious extreme unpopularity of the Iraq occupation, this was either 1) a statement of pure principle (unlikely, since McCain seems to have violated nearly every principle I associate with him in his effort to play nice with the insane right-wing fringe), or 2) a political calculation. The latter theory goes like this: McCain judged that Bush would never actually send in more troops, so when things inevitably continue going to a hot place in a handbasket there, McCain can say that if we'd done it his way it would have worked.
You see that strategy, sometimes, on both sides: you propose something you know won't become actual policy, but which is (or sounds plausibly like) a better idea than the status quo, so later you can claim to have been the one with better judgment.
The problem is it looks like Bush is actually going to do it. And if McCain is closely associated with the escalation of a tremedously unpopular conflict, that's a big hurdle in 2008. The tag also has the advantage of being true--McCain's been pushing this longer than anyone.
The McCain Doctrine. Pass it on.
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