John McCain's "hundred years" in Iraq is the Democrats' new ad

The Democratic National Committee has unveiled a new 30-second ad attacking Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain.

Titled “100,” the ad -- which you can see below -- begins with footage of McCain, during a town-hall forum in New Hampshire in January, responding to a voter's comment about how long U.S. troops could be expected to remain in Iraq.

“President Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq for 50 years,” the audio of the voter says as his words appear on half of a split screen.

“Maybe a hundred ...

... that’d be fine with me,” McCain responds in video from the event on the other half of the screen.

The ad then shows scenes of violence from the war, and ends with a picture of Bush and McCain together as an announcer says: “If all he offers is more of the same, is John McCain the right choice for America’s future?”

Although McCain’s words have been misconstrued and mis-characterized on the campaign trail as meaning that the war could last for a century, the Arizona senator has been careful -- both during the exchange with New Hampshire peace activist Dave Tiffany and in later interviews -– to liken the continuation of U.S. troops in Iraq to the ongoing U.S. military presence in Japan, Germany and South Korea, more than 60 years after the end of World War II and more than 50 years after the cease-fire in the Korean conflict.

Asked about the new ad today on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” DNC chairman Howard Dean criticized McCain for being "out of step with the American people" and rejected the GOP’s contention that McCain’s words were being taken out of context:

“First of all, we're not arguing that he's going to be at war for a hundred years. We don't think we ought to be in Iraq for a hundred years under any circumstances. Think of the hundreds of billions of dollars that are being spent in Iraq, which we need right here at home right now to preserve American jobs ....

“Now, does anyone think, who's watching this show, that if you keep our troops in Iraq for a hundred years, people won't be attacking them and won't be setting off suicide bombs and won't be having militias go after them? I don't think so. And most Americans don't think so. What Senator McCain is saying doesn't make any sense. We cannot be in Iraq for a hundred years. Those dollars belong in America. We're in trouble in this -- in, in America. And, frankly, the Bush-McCain economic program has put us in trouble in America. That money needs to be here in America.”

-- Leslie Hoffecker

Comments

[Joe]

How much was spent on the war against Japan and how long have we been there?

If the situation stabalizes I don't see any problem with a military presence in Iraq for a hundred years.

How long after the Spanish American War have we been in Cuba? Over 100 years.

[keith]

/it doesn't matter who the Democrat nominee is, they are going to crush McCain. He is after all a GOP liberal, and is never hesitant to go after his own party. His support from true GOP voters will be lukewarm at best. I've been a Republican all my life for better or for worse, but Obama's got my vote vs. McCain, I'd rather vote for the personal appeal of Obama rather than the "maverickness" of McCain. The main stream media will eat him alive to promote Obama. MCain vs. Hillary, well I'll stay GOP. It's not really the Pres that runs the show, it's the Congress, which is why I laugh so much at all the Bush-haters who fail to assign the appropriate amount of liability to Congress & Reid, Pelosi for today's problems. The POTUS doesn't exist in a vacuum, if you have any political astuteness you know that. It's the fact that so many people don't really have a grasp of how gov't works and can be so easily lead in one direction or another by conservatives and liberals that really disappoints me. Both cons and libs have their own agendas that can be destructive if not counter-balanced by the other side. Congress as a whole authorized the war, the Democratically controlled Congress since 2007 could've ended it by simply de-funding it but they didn't, it's all a dog and pony show. Don't be so easily fooled by either side.

[Dave]

And the fundamental problems with the libdems, truth and insight

No one seems to have the right plan yet what is the libdems plan ?

[carey lowe]

Hopefully America is smart enough to not think of a SOUNDBIGHT as the whole story.

[Joseph Dooley]

Im a lifelong Republican, and I really, really wish McCain hadn't made that stupid remark. Ads like this will cost him a couple million votes. Maybe more.

[Albert Franklin]

If blacks had not been exterminated in Europe, then would either McCain or Bush have any need to conduct wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq? Therefore, if both Bush and McCain can be connected to the extermination of blacks in Europe void of a singe Democrat then why hasn't the antiwar movement done so? Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition, and Cecil William's Glide Memorial collectively should be thumping their war chests loudly, on this one!

[Brent Burk]

In McCain's view, we would have a war for 100 years.

Why?

We can't leave cause it is unstable.
If soldiers keep on dieing, it is unstable.
Therefore, we must stay to try and make it stable.
If we do make it stable, we shall still stay for 100 years.
If we don't make it stable, we will try 100 years to make it stable.

Something like that. I just don't understand his reasoning.

[Michael M]

Billions of american tax dollars and thousands of american soldiers gone, so bush can rob the people of Iraq of their oil. Then he will tax us when he sells it to us. No,wait a minute. The american people have to pay billions of dollars and thousands of lives to steal the oil, then the oil companies make all the profits when they sell it to us. BUSH & OIL 100% PROFIT--- AMERICAN PEOPLE trillions in a hole. That's about right, right. riiiiiiiight!

[PacificGatePost]

THERE IS NO REASON TO FEAR WITHDRAWAL?

It is time to give Iraqis their nation back before too few are left to remember that most Shiite, Sunni or Kurd Iraqis described themselves as Iraqis above all else and religious or sectarian group members second…..

http://pacificgatepost.blogspot.com/2008/04/why-fear-withdrawal-from-iraq.html

[DaveT]

Oh, so we have been in Japan and Germany since 1945? Howard Dean speaks for himself, not me. Yes, I think Iraq was a mistake but we are there now and we are going to finish the job.

When the going gets tough, the Democrats cut and run.

[Sheikh Yarbuti]

If the Democrats don't work fast with their misleading soundbites, they won't be able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in Iraq.

[Dan]

The Demoncrats can "want" all the can, but the truth is we need to keep a presence in the middle east and 100 years is a base not a war... idiots, quit taking things out of context!!!

[JR]

I'll say it right up front, I'm a Hillary supporter. I don't have anything against Obama. I don't buy in to the Wright
criticisms, don't accept the patriotism nonsense and I can see how he could've made a misjudgement about Rezco. My problem is simply that I don't think he deserves the job, he doesn't have the experience. He's not even what I would call a seasoned senator. He sprang on to the scene and has turned what should have been an easy democratic victory into chaos. But, if he gets the nomination, I will support him because he is NOT republican. There is no way that I would ever help a republican into the white house again in my life. I am convinced that they want to destroy my country and for at least 14 years have been striving to do just that. No matter the hard feelings that result from the next few months, we must ban together to defeat McCain. Please don't allow disappointment to cloud your mind and let the republicans win again.

[arnold turner]

I am a Democrat and this ad is a lie. It is a shameful malipulation of a portion of a statement to decieve the viewer into believing McCain said something he didn't. Carl Rove would be proud of this piece of work. Imitation is the highest form of flattery. Why don't we run a campaign based on the truth? It is more honorable and more effective than this falsehood. We deserve better.

[Matt Chaffee]

He wasn't referring to a full presence like we have now. He was referring to having the same type of presence like we have in Germany and other countries. Everyone knows the war was mismanaged and started for the wrong reasons (economics, oil, etc.) That is not new. McCain's military experience will be valuable in the White House and he will put the right people around him to help. He will not surround himself with "Yes" men and women like Bush. The political vacuum that will be formed by the full evacuation of troops like the Dems are proposing would cause more problems than we have now in more places than just Iraq.

[Tom Hart]

Does Howard Dean think we are so stupid that we think Obama thinks like his preacher or that Hillary wouldn't be a good president because she said she was at risk of sniper fire? Mr. Dean wants us to believe McCain thinks we should be in Iraq for a 100 years. Please Mr. Dean, we are not brain dean even if you are. We will make up our own minds thank you.

[keith]

"If blacks had not been exterminated in Europe, then would either McCain or Bush have any need to conduct wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq? Therefore, if both Bush and McCain can be connected to the extermination of blacks in Europe void of a singe Democrat then why hasn't the antiwar movement done so?"

Maybe because there are millions of Afro Europeans?
Where does this kind of stuff come from?

[Bob L]

Every one is entitled to their opinion but please do not write anything stupid claiming you are Democrats or Republicans. 100 years either in combat or peace keeping role is not sustainable as US is bankrupt.

You must be day dreaming if you think no militias will attack our troop in peace keeping role?

[cg]

can the democrat offer a better alternative for this war? did they ever asses what is at stake if the troops pull out? or are they just trying to please the voters and they don't actually have the guts to pull out? it's easy to said than done. people are grateful for american help but mostly are just selfish and just wanted to serve themselves.

[ipreferfacts]

"did they ever ask what is at stake if the troops pull out? "

What will happen if we pull out? Will it be like Vietnam, where communism will spread thoughout all of Asia?

Wait that didn't happen.

No one knows what will happen!

If there is 2 things that any reasonable person would have to agree upon...

1) So far- Bush and his team have been wrong a lot(WMD, war lasting 6 months, oil paying for reconstruction, ties to al queda, welcomed as liberators, war costing less than 50 billion etc.)
2) They have been fantastic at "Selling" their opinions as fact. (e.g. we fight them their or we fight them here- only an opinion - not a fact).

It is possible that the ramifications that the bushies say they "BELIEVE" (not know) IN could come true... But remember it is only and opinion; and most importantly.. an opinion from someone who has been WRONG A LOT!!

Wrong, way too much for my taste...

[RoBoTech]

"You must be day dreaming if you think no militias will attack our troop in peace keeping role?"

How old are these people who make statements like this?

uh, nobody has attacked us in Germany since 1940's
Nobody's attacked us in S. Korea since 1960's.
Etc, etc.
And Iraq is nothing compared to WW II or the Korean War. We get the bad guys out, Iraq (like Germany and Korea) will keep them out. We'll just be there to deter any massive take over.
Just like Germany, S. Korea, etc.
Of course, it's hard for someone too young to even remember how we won the Cold War (what less anything older) to understand this. But please try.

[Rohan]

This ad is 100% accurate. Sorry folks, videotape does not lie. McCain was asked about Bush's plan to stay in Iraq for 50 years, and McCain responded that 100 years would be "fine with him".

Does anyone here really think that Iraq is the same as Germany or Japan? There was never a civil war brewing in those countries, our troops were never under constant attack once we had those countries occupied. Trust me, if we are in Iraq for 100 years, U.S. troops will be getting killed each and every one of those years.

If you are cool with staying in Iraq forever and continuing to spend our money over there, then go ahead and vote McCain. You're basically giving Bush a third term. If you want to end this war and fix our economy, vote Obama.

[RoBoTech]

"Does anyone here really think that Iraq is the same as Germany or Japan? There was never a civil war brewing in those countries, our troops were never under constant attack once we had those countries occupied. Trust me, if we are in Iraq for 100 years, U.S. troops will be getting killed each and every one of those years."

Sorry, I don't trust your judgment.
Prove that last sentence.

Show me proof that peace time Iraq, with a US peace keeping force, would be any different than peace time Germany or Korea.
Opinion from an arm chair general won't cut it. Show me reference from a REAL Military Commander that is/has served in Iraq.
Being a Commander who HAS served in Iraq, and served in Vietnam in the early 70's, a tour in Korea in the mid 70's, and a tour in Germany in the late 70's, early 80s, I can tell you from EXPERIENCE that Iraq won't be any different than any other war the US has fought and won.
Of course, we'll never know because the Democrats will cut and run, just like they did in the Vietnam War.