McCain says he misspoke in saying U.S. lives 'wasted'

[rebel with a cause]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Republican Sen. John McCain on Thursday became the second presidential contender to back away from saying the war in Iraq had "wasted" the lives of U.S. troops.

During a Wednesday night appearance on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman," McCain announced that he would enter the 2008 race but said a formal announcement would come in April.

He also said the nation had paid a "grievous price" for mistakes made in the first years of the nearly four-year-old war in Iraq.

Americans "are very frustrated," he said, "and they have every right to be. We've wasted a lot of our most precious treasure, which is American lives, over there."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/01/mccain/index.html

DNC attacks, but Obama stays positive and does not.

[sweetheart]

1. that greasy pole

John maccain, ya gotta wonder whether that greasy pole is
getting shoved down your throat, or whether it is coming up
from your behind. But the the new corporate piercing is
really attractive john, and it'll win big kudos with the punks.

[NDP]

2. George W. Bush lied (and led) this country into Iraq. Of course lives were wasted because of lies

[rebel with a cause]

5. Yeah, it was hard to even post this (not a mccain fan)

but since the "misspoke" words were already posted today, I thought it only fair to say that he had been called on it by the DNC.

[LibDemAlways]

3. I would seriously consider voting for someone willing to

make that comment and not back down from it. I know it isn't politically correct to talk about lives being wasted, but when I read the obits, that's sure as hell what it sounds like to me. These young soldiers had their whole lives ahead of them, and they're dead. And for what? So Cheney's pockets can bulge even more? So Halliburton can continue to profit? So the US can steal Iraqi resources? So the PNACers can carry out their evil plans? There is no good reason why anyone should sacrifice themselves for any of that crap. Wasted lives. Sadly. Yes.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Miss Chybil]

6. One of the few times I've agreed with him and he has to back out of it... nt

[truthisfreedom]

7. It just goes to show how true the statement is, that two men running for President have already said

it against their better judgement.

[tiptoe]

8. there's gotta be a flip-flop list for McCain somewhere...this is just another tidbit to add nt

[rocktivity]

9. Geez, talk about "run it up the flagpole and see who salutes it!"

Doesn't McCain know that Kerry and Obama were very recently forced to apologize for saying such things? Given his age and Ronald Reagan's history, McCain's not helping himself by suggesting that he has short-term memory problems!

:headbang:
rocknation

[rebel with a cause]

14. Perhaps he is desperate for press coverage.

That would explain his "misspeaking" on a show that is broadcast nation wide. What better way to get headlines the day after than to repeat words you know someone else had already said and gotten a lot of attention for saying them. What is the old saying, "even bad press is good press" or "there is no such thing as bad PR"? I don't know, it is something like that.

Am I having a bush moment? OH NO!!!!!

[VegasWolf]

10. Good ole Backtrack McCain!!! You can set a clock watching this guy reverse himself ! nt

[Bigmack]

11. If those lives weren't wasted....

... how about the ones in the Vietnam war?
"...had a brother at khe sahn...Fighting off the viet cong. They're still there, he's all gone" (Springsteen... Born in the USA)

58,000 lives wasted in Vietnam... 3200 wasted in Iraq.

What other word could you use other than wasted?

[IndianaGreen]

12. Their lives were indeed wasted, not sacrificed, as Gold Star Mothers said

in a statement read on Keith Olbermann show tonight.

Like They Say, Words Matter: "They" of course said that when Barack Obama spoke last month of American lives "wasted" in Iraq. Everyone - including those who jumped all over him for it - knew he meant no disrespect to the troops, as they know now that John McCain didn't either when he used the exact same words last night. But as the man once said; in this political climate, eventually the wheel turns, and you'll have written the rules by which you yourself are squashed. WATCH VIDEO

http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=F70EB28D-BFB1-4232-80F6-D0F1F026CED3&f=00&fg=copy

http://thenewshole.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/01/76569.aspx

Referring to their deaths as a "sacrifice" is wrong because to do so is to say that Bush's war in Iraq had a higher value than their lives. Olbermann quoted the American Heritage Dictionary definition of sacrifice:

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

sacrifice

Forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim.

http://www.bartleby.com/61/14/S0011400.html

[rebel with a cause]

15. Hmmmm, Huffington is very interesting

in her interview. She states that Obama's reaction to mccain was the appropriate one and the DNC reinforced the republican's talking point by theirs. She also said somethings I can't repeat, due to my pledge not to bad mouth any candidates. Oh the pain of taking the higher road. (just a joke, in case someone does not understand this) I'm sure I'll be the better person for it. ;-)

[IndianaGreen]

19. Good point made by Arianna Huffington, thank you for pointing that out!

I can't recall how many times we have seen the Democratic Establishment capitulate to the merest hint of Republican disapproval. Thankfully we still have a number of Democrats, including some of those running for President, that won't play the GOP BOHICA game (Bent Over, Here It Comes Again!).

I find your pledge to not bad mouth any candidates to be an interesting challenge. I couldn't do it myself unless I was heavily sedated with Thorazine. :-)

[Mark E. Smith]

13. If McCain tells the truth -

... then it must be a mistake.

[maxrandb]

16. Hey John!

Where the "eff" were you when the Reich-Wing Noise Machine was blasting away non-stop over a "botched joke" that John Kerry made?

Oh! That's right! You were right out front demanding that Kerry apologize. You did this even though you know in your heart that:

- John Kerry has nothing but the utmost respect for our men and women in uniform.

- John Kerry wore the uniform of this country with pride and volunteered to serve in one of the most dangerous jobs in Vietnam.

- John Kerry risked life and limb, was wounded, decorated and praised for his service in this dangerous billet.

-and most of all...you know...that if your life was on the line and you only had the option of calling John Kerry or GWB for help, you'd call John Kerry without a second of hesitation

You stood by and watched a good man get tarnished and belittled, and you did more than do nothing...you joined in and kicked him in the crotch. Why?! For no other reason than political expedience.

Fuck you John. I used to think that GWB being pretzledent was the worst thing that could ever happen to this country. Now, the only thing worse than that, would be if you were somehow able to occupy the White House.

I used to have respect for you, but you're nothing but a "back-stabbing coward".

There's nothing so tragic as a man with an amputated soul. Your soul was ripped out when you hugged that POS that is now the POTUS

[rebel with a cause]

17. Huffington said something like

he had sold his soul to the right wingers and that as such he was now pathetic.

[rebel with a cause]

18. duplicate post.. key stuck?