Monday, July 09, 2007

JOHN MCCAIN

McCain's Iraq Thoughts, Coming Friday to New Hampshire

“Everyone’s particularly worried about what happens when McCain gets back from Iraq,” one official said, a reference to the latest trip to Baghdad by Senator John McCain, who has been a stalwart supporter of the “surge” strategy. Mr. McCain’s travels, and his political troubles in the race for the Republican nomination for president, have fueled speculation that he may declare the Iraqi government incapable of the kind of political accommodations that the crackdown on violence was supposed to permit.

McCain is back from Iraq, and I am told he will share his reaction to his latest visit Friday at a speech to the ~~American Legion Post in Claremont, New Hampshire~~ scratch that, wrong campaign stop; the Iraq speech will be delivered at the Chamber of Commerce in Concord, N.H.

Will McCain really be able to wait the entire week? Or is this a chance to actually build some attention and expectations, as the political world wonders if McCain sees validity in the recent comments of Sens. Lugar, Warner, Voinovich, and Dominici?

If McCain echoes the senators and says the Iraqis aren't getting their act together, that we owe it to our troops to get them out of a mess that has little or no chance at improvement anytime soon, will it suddenly transform his image? Will the media love him again? Will Republicans growing skeptical about the war give him a second look?

If McCain doesn't shift, and says we've got to continue, no matter how hard it gets, will the GOP base reward his steadfastness? Or will they see him as the face of an unpopular war?

07/09 12:19 PM Share