It is no secret by now (at least to us) that Senator McCain doesn’t have a problem keeping our troops in Iraq indefinitely. We will momentarily look past how quickly he answered that the troops could stay in Iraq for a million years and how he recently said that he would start more wars (with a callous mention of how much Post-Traumatic Stress there would be), and instead turn our attention to a statement found on his website. I will quote this statement in its entirety, because it’s just too interesting (that’s one word for it) to summarize:
Increasing the Size of the American Military
The most important weapons in the U.S. arsenal are the men and women of American armed forces. John McCain believes we must enlarge the size of our armed forces to meet new challenges to our security. For too long, we have asked too much of too few รข€“(sic) with the result that many service personnel are on their second, third and even fourth tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. There can be no higher defense priority than the proper compensation, training, and equipping of our troops.
Our existing force is overstretched by the combination of military operations in the broader Middle East and the need to maintain our security commitments in Europe and Asia. Recruitment and retention suffer from extended overseas deployments that keep service personnel away from their homes and families for long periods of time.
John McCain believes that the answer to these challenges is not to roll back our overseas commitments. The size and composition of our armed forces must be matched to our nation’s defense requirements. As requirements expand in the global war on terrorism so must our Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard be reconfigured to meet these new challenges. John McCain thinks it is especially important to increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps to defend against the threats we face today.
John McCain knows that the most difficult and solemn decision a president must make is sending young Americans into harm’s way. Having experienced firsthand the brutality of war, as president, John McCain would never make the decision to use force lightly, only when the cause is just, and our nation’s values and interests absolutely demand it.
Does anyone else see the writing on the wall for the draft in this statement?
It absolutely amazes me that Senator McCain recognizes that these operations have overstretched our troops, yet he says:
John McCain believes that the answer to these challenges is not to roll back our overseas commitments. The size and composition of our armed forces must be matched to our nation’s defense requirements.
Let’s not look at these commitments that are wearing our troops out and driving many over the edge; let’s just recruit more soldiers to fight these overreaching occupations! Senator McCain has made no attempt to disguise the fact that he wants to fight more wars and doesn’t care how long they take, and here he makes no attempt to disguise that he wants more of us, and more of our children, and more of our grandchildren, to fight these wars.
On second thought, this doesn’t amaze me so much. Such is the philosophy we have been fighting for so long now. This philosophy says that America has the right - the duty - to interfere in any country it pleases to attack, as long as there is democracy to be spread.
We are accused of adhering to a foreign policy that is supposedly best left to the 1700’s. I would accuse all the other candidates of adhering to a foreign policy that should have died with the Middle Ages. This is not “Risk.” We’re not trying to occupy as many spaces on the map as possible and reshape the world in our image.
Foreign policy should be aimed at not making enemies to have to fight, while guarding against those who would harm us. The Founders knew this and taught this, but if the other candidates cannot follow the Constitution for what it clearly says in the matters of declaring war and executive powers, I do not expect them to know what else the Founders had to say.
Yes, Senator McCain, I have no doubt that you will keep your promise of more wars. And I have no doubt that if you get your way, you will be coming for us to fight them.
How about some real straight talk on foreign policy for a nice change of pace.
