McCain and the Gates of Hates
Two items. One, Ali Frick has John McCain responding to a question about whether we need to reinstate the draft in order to meet his pledge to “follow bin Laden to the gates of hell” by saying “I don’t disagree with anything you said.” Previously, McCain has said we’d only need a draft in “all-out World War III” and that he agrees “to some extent” that we’re already in World War III.
Meanwhile, Matt Duss wonders why McCain won’t follow bin Laden into Pakistan where, unlike the gates of hell, he actually is. I, for one, would just settle for McCain getting some priorities straight. The point of the gates of hell line, after all, is to underscore how seriously McCain takes the al-Qaeda issue. But he’s also absolutely committed to an undefined goal of victory in Iraq. And he’s also absolutely committed to halting the Iranian nuclear program. And now he’s also absolutely committed to rolling back Russian influence. In the real world, you can’t accomplish anything unless you’re prepared to focus and set priorities.
37 Responses to “McCain and the Gates of Hates”
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August 20th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
One day one of his answers will be nothing but a string of first- and third-person shooter video game titles.
August 20th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Huh. I was just thinking earlier today that I haven’t heard/read much about McCain’s “gates of hell” line for quite a while now.
At the time I figured it was just a piece of rhetoric on a par with Bush’s “dead or alive” nonsense. And McCain, should he be elected, would be telling us in two years time how Bin Laden has been ‘minimalized’ or not worth thinking about. Meet the new boss…
August 20th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Obama must really be worried about the internals in latest round of polls. What else would explain this coordinated campaign to suggest that McCain wants to reinstate the draft?
This ridiculous tactic didn’t work in 2004 and is even less likely to work in 2008.
August 20th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
“absolutely committed to an undefined goal of victory in Iraq. absolutely committed to halting the Iranian nuclear program.
absolutely committed to rolling back Russian influence.”
Even if he could manage to get himself focused, where are we going to get all the money and manpower to accomplish all those goals? Oh, I forgot; maybe we could borrow more money from China! John McCain doesn’t seem to realize we are NOT the Super Power we once were and therefore we have very little leverage in the world anymore. Bush & Cheney have seen to that.
Belligerence, Bravado & Bellicosity = that’s John McCain!
August 20th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
I don’t know, the “wants to reïnstate the draft” line might work better sondiering that McCain has expressed pleasure at seeing young Americans in uniforms exercising early in the morning—which is nearly the exact opposite of the sort of pr0n _I_ prefer.
August 20th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
“What else would explain this coordinated campaign to suggest that McCain wants to reinstate the draft?”
Coordinated campaign? Obama’s camp hasn’t said a thing about it; it was picked up by someone on DKos and hasn’t progressed beyond blogs yet.
And it’s not a suggestion, McCain *actually said it*. It’s hard to argue against your own words.
August 20th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Hades
At some point, this kind of thing, continuing apparently forever, becomes inexcusable for a serious writer.
August 20th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
And it’s not a suggestion, McCain *actually said it*. It’s hard to argue against your own words.
Not for John McCain it isn’t! He’s a maverick! He won’t be tied down by any words, his or anyone else’s! John McCain doesn’t speak for John McCain — only John McCain does! Damn consistency, full speed ahead!
August 20th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
And it’s not a suggestion, McCain *actually said it*. It’s hard to argue against your own words.
How DARE you criticize a former POW!
August 20th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
If he wants to follow bin Laden to the gates of hell, he should commit suicide now, because Benazir Bhutto said Mullah Omar killed bin Laden in 2003.
And a hell of a lot of people believe the CIA has been issuing all those “bin Laden” videos since.
I don’t know if that’s true, but I wouldn’t be surprised, since bin Laden is the “loyal opposition” for Bush and Cheney. If bin Laden didn’t exist, they would have had to invent him (which, of course, they did, despite Larry Johnson’s and other ex-CIA persons claims otherwise.)
August 20th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
BTW, once again, another boring snarky Matt post about McCain as someone who hasn’t a clue, is a hysterical war monger, yada, yada.
We KNOW that, Matt.
Now how is Obama going to win against that given that the MSM are totally in McCain’s camp?
August 20th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
So why is that only Charlie Rangel (D-NY) really seems interested enough in a draft to actually introduce legislation to that effect ?
August 20th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Mr McCain has said he KNOWS how to get Bin Laden? Has he shared this knowledge with those who are dying in Afghanistan and if not why not?
August 20th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
If one were to circulate scurrilous emails about McCain, as conservatives do about Obama, spreading rumors associating McCain with a reinstatement of the draft wouldn’t be a bad way to go about it. I’m just sayin’….
August 21st, 2008 at 2:41 am
It was nice of Ali to edit out all of McCain’s response to the woman’s question except for the first sentence, in which he acknowledge his agreement with everything she said.
The substance of her question was about poor medical treatment for vets, not the draft. McCain’s complete answer, not Ali’s edted version, reflects that.
Maybe Ali stole the cut from Solzhenitsyn, who knows.
August 21st, 2008 at 3:34 am
lol. Not even Matthew’s readers are stupid enough to fall for this fake, miserable little trick are they?
August 21st, 2008 at 8:02 am
John McCain and his scret plot to kill the U.N. — insightful read!
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-john-mccain-and-his-secretive-plot-to-kill-the-un-903998.html
August 21st, 2008 at 9:43 am
I was all excited about this … and then I watched the video. No longer excited. In context, her “draft” comment was just a zinger at the end of a question about veterans’ benefits, and McCain had clearly already formulated his answer and was just waiting for her to stop talking.
August 21st, 2008 at 10:19 am
Bin Laden suffered from kidney disease that required frequent dialysis. He’s bin dead for years. The tapes are nonsense.
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