Yesterday John McCain took the whole vocabulary people use to talk about the War on Iraq and threw it out the window, all in order to explain away his claim that the Anbar Awakening was a consequence of the Surge even though it actually predated President Bush's announcement of the escalation. Read Ilan (and watch the amazing video) for the details: McCain is now claiming that 'surge' means 'counterinsurgency,' even though the entire country knows differently. It's long past time for any idea that McCain has more or better knowledge about Iraq to be discarded. It's even worse that McCain is subverting the national discourse on the most important foreign policy issue for this election -- this, from the candidate who "believes it is essential to be honest with the American people about the opportunities and risks that lie ahead."
--Tim Fernholz
