At last night's debate, McCain unveiled his next strategy for winning the Republican nomination. No longer will he be the straight-talking independent, no longer will he be the careful, critical hawk. Instead: Lying:
McCain was ready and eager to stress his muscular position in favor of the "surge" in Iraq, and he had plenty of opportunity to do so. The key moment came after Romney said the surge was "apparently working," and McCain challenged him. "No, not apparently, it's working," McCain responded sharply.
Romney, the ex-governor of Massachusetts, said he wants to wait to hear from General David Petraeus, the American commander in Iraq who will testify before Congress next week, before rendering a less equivocal verdict. McCain took exception to that, too. There's no reason to wait, he indicated. The success of the surge--involving more troops and a new counterinsurgency strategy--"is more than apparent. It's working."
That, of course, isn't true. Its primary objective -- political reconciliation -- has failed to the point that we're thinking of jettisoning the whole Maliki government. It may have increased security in certain regions, but different government agencies disagree on whether that's true. It certainly hasn't stopped the violence, and there's no reason to think any downtick -- if indeed one exists -- will survive after the surge ends.
So yeah, pack of lies. According to Fred Barnes, though, this "helped" McCain, and Romney's whispered caution harmed Romney. Which is why McCain is calling his latest political swing the "no surrender" tour. His campaign may not surrender, but even McCain has to know this pandering is humiliating.
