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McCain stated that it is immaterial whether al-Qaeda was Iraq before the invasion or not. “Those who claim we should withdraw from Iraq in order to fight Al Qaeda more effectively elsewhere are making a dangerous mistake. Whether they were there before is immaterial, al Qaeda is in Iraq now, as it is in the borderlands between Pakistan and Afghanistan, in Somalia, and in Indonesia. If we withdraw prematurely from Iraq, al Qaeda in Iraq will survive, proclaim victory and continue to provoke sectarian tensions that, while they have been subdued by the success of the surge, still exist, as various factions of Sunni and Shi’a have yet to move beyond their ancient hatreds, and are ripe for provocation by al Qaeda.”

John McCain fails to understand that if there was no al-Qaeda in Iraq before the U.S. invaded, then there is absolutely no justification for being there. McCain might think that it doesn’t matter because al-Qaeda is there now, but this is a lie of omission at best. What supporters of this war don’t tell you is that estimates of the number of al-Qaeda in Iraq are around 1,000.

The insurgents killing Americans are Iraqis. John McCain wants to keep feeding America the lie that we are in Iraq to battle al-Qaeda. The reality is that our invasion destabilized an entire region and emboldened Iran to finance many of the insurgent groups.

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Iraq is an unnecessary disaster that the Bush administration brought upon the American people. McCain spent a scant few sentences talking about Afghanistan, which is where the Taliban is getting stronger and help is needed the most.

The ability of John McCain to ignore facts and be such an ardent supporter of continuing the war in Iraq provides all the evidence that the American people need that this man lacks the judgment needed in a president. Instead of spotlighting a strong leader, this speech revealed McCain as a pandering old man, who is desperate to fulfill his ambition for the White House. McCain is the candidate few wanted, and the president America doesn’t need.

McCain’s Speech:

http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/Speeches/872473dd-9ccb-4ab4-9d0d-ec54f0e7a497.htm