McCain: straight talk, happy talk, delusional, or desperate?
Leading up to his trip to Iraq, John McCain asserted that the American people were not getting an accurate picture of what was happening in Iraq. He said there were places in Baghdad where he could walk freely.
So off to Iraq he went to go for a walk “freely”
The problem was that, wearing a kevlar vest, he took armored humvees, helicopter gunships, and was surrounded by inner and outer perimeter security so he could take his walk.
On ABC news, Michael O’ Hanlon from the Brookings insitute referred to McCain’s statements as “happy talk”
ABC News actually reported an increase in violence.
CNN’s Michael Ware, who has been in Baghdad for years now put it in a different perspective. He pointed out that politicians have been doing this in Baghdad for years. They come with an enormous security detail and walk thru one part of town.
Then he had to answer a question about whether he heckled Senator McCain at a press conference. It was reported on a blog (read Drudge) which sourced an unnamed McCain staffer. He said that he did not, that he did not even get to ask a question as the press conference ended when he raised his hand.