http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060822/...co/mccain_iraq

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Republican Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), a staunch defender of the
Iraq war, on Tuesday faulted the Bush administration for misleading Americans into believing the conflict would be "some kind of day at the beach."

The potential 2008 presidential candidate, who a day earlier had rejected calls for withdrawing U.S. forces, said the administration had failed to make clear the challenges facing the military.

"I think one of the biggest mistakes we made was underestimating the size of the task and the sacrifices that would be required," McCain said. "Stuff happens, mission accomplished, last throes, a few dead-enders. I'm just more familiar with those statements than anyone else because it grieves me so much that we had not told the American people how tough and difficult this task would be."

Those phrases are closely associated with top members of the Bush administration, including the president.

Bush stood below a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished" on May 1, 2003 after the collapse of
Saddam Hussein's regime. The war has continued since then, with the death of more than 2,600 members of the U.S. military. Vice President
Dick Cheney said last year that the Iraqi insurgency was "in its final throes."

The Arizona senator said that talk "has contributed enormously to the frustration that Americans feel today because they were led to believe this could be some kind of day at the beach, which many of us fully understood from the beginning would be a very, very difficult undertaking."

McCain was campaigning for Republican Sen. Mike DeWine (news, bio, voting record), who faces a tough fight in his re-election bid against Democratic challenger Rep. Sherrod Brown (news, bio, voting record). Ohio was decisive in the 2004 presidential election, ensuring Bush's win, and is certain to be critical in 2008.

On Monday, McCain said at an appearance in suburban Cleveland that if U.S. troops announce a specific date to leave Iraq, insurgents will bide their time until they have an opportunity to act without interference.

"The chaos that would ensue would have direct implications for our national security," McCain said.

DeWine said Congress would not have had the chance to authorize the war if the intelligence on Iraq's military capability and intentions were accurate.

"It would never have come up for a vote so it would have been an entirely different situation," he said.

Well, it's still WEAK, and late... It's not like he said the whole Iraq mess was a MISTAKE (now THAT would truly be newsworthy!!!)

I am so sick of McCain too. I used to think there was something about him that made him different (and possibly more leader-like) from the other Repugnicans, but he is honestly just as weak and un-leaderlike and foundering as all the rest. It's ironic that his POW heroism is always mentioned, because the way he acts, and for all of the things he supports, you would think he's already forgotten it himself!!!

... and on that note, I wish the Hillary campaign would quit sending me snail mails and emails asking for money. Unless she's the ONLY candidate that the Dems support, there is NO WAY I'd give her campaign any money this early in the game. She's just a version of Repugnican lite and HYPOCRITE as far as I'm concerned! Humph!

It's a start. That's something, I'm just a little unsure of what.

Bwahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Man you Hillary bashers crack me up.

I fully intend to support her. After reading her voting record I can't find much fault with it. I really don't give a flying fuck what these anti war morons say about her. I mean do those fools actually know what she voted for? NO!!!!

http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_keyv..._id=WNY99 268

I agree with her voting record is BEAUTIFUL on many, many issues; but for this one lily-livered moment, I hold her accountable. It was political schmoozing to an EVIL administration (ewwwwww) at a critical time when the nonsense should have at least been held in check. This is the reason the public coffers have been pillaged, and it has added to wayyyyy more problems than just the Iraq War, which is bad enough.

An IDEAL leader would have challenged the status quo from the get-go.

Also, as you well know, she will NEVER win over middle-America, and I can't stand the thought of another four (or GOD FORBID, EIGHT!!!) more years of Republican nonsense. (But I'd vote for her in a NY second if she were THE nominee!)

th bush admin is supposed to appear incompetent