John McCain's comment on the draft should draw attention to one of his most jaw-dropping policy proposals. Last winter, John McCain in his Foreign Affairs article proposed expanding the ground forces by an additional 200,000 troops (ie That is 150,000 more than the current expansion target). McCain pledged:

"As president,...

John McCain just disavowed comments from his top adviser Charlie Black for saying the assassination of Benazir Bhutto "helped" McCain win the nomination and another terrorist attack against the U.S. "would be a big advantage to him."

McCain responded with shock, saying, "I can't imagine why he would...

Elisabeth Bumiller has a fairly bland run down of the similarities and differences between McCain and Bush but she gets to the right place when she concludes that -- well he's the same as Bush:

A look at Mr. McCain's 25-year record in the House and Senate, his 2008 campaign...

This is not a gaffe. This is a pattern. John McCain saying that he is "not too concerned" when troops come home is part of a clear pattern of statements and actions by McCain that should cause real concern. He is developing quite the list:

1. Nitpicking -- Randy...

I am catching this a little late, but this is important to correct. The McCain campaign attacked Barack Obama for saying that the surge would result in an increase in violence. Pointing to this quote from Obama:

"I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq...

A few weeks back Ilan Goldenberg and others debated who should be the Secretary of Defense in a Democratic administration. Ilan persuasively argued against Chuck Hagel as Sec Def - but that leads to the obvious question over who should be the Sec Def in a Democratic administration?

One thing becomes clear in John McCain's speech -- if he becomes president, war with another country will be inevitable.

McCain made clear today that the United States will not talk to Iran or North Korea. Instead, he will pursue the Bush administration's policy line toward Iran,...

The New York Times has a truly stunning editorial today. The paper makes the very important point that when Bush made his appeasement remarks in the Knesset it is almost certain that he knew that Israel was negotiating with Syria. Thus, his appeasement attack was directed not just against...

After the invasion of Iraq there was much talk among conservatives about invading Syria. Then Secretary of State Colin Powell was heavily criticized for taking a trip to Syria to talk to its leadership. Newt Gingrich said, "The concept of the American secretary of state going to Damascus to...

In a shocking article from the Economist in March 2002, John McCain is described as having George Bush's foreign policy before George Bush had it. The article, by the Economist's Lexington columnist, is titled "George Bush: McCainiac - How the president has almost become the man he...

"Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed." - President Bush, 5/1/03

"I believe that success will be fairly easy." - Senator McCain, CNN, 9/24/02

It has been five years since President Bush declared victory...

In light of the growing controversy over McCain's earmark flip flop/confusion, it is worth pointing out that McCain has a long history of talking tough and doing very little when it comes to busting pork.

Winslow Wheeler, a former defense staffer to Senator Pete Domenici now at...

Five years ago today and a week prior to Bush's "mission accomplished" speech John McCain was on Chris Matthews' Hardball where he praised the president, Rumsfeld, and the strategy and tactics used to go into Iraq. Of note, McCain said Bush had "done a great job," and that he was...

Here is the title of a report from the Government Accountability Office on combating terrorism released today:

The United States Lacks a Comprehensive Plan to Destroy the Terrorist Threat and Close the Safe Haven in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

That is not some line buried in the report. That is...

VIOLENCE RAGING IN IRAQ

Bombers kill at least 54 across Iraq. Bombers struck four cities across Iraq on Tuesday, killing at least 54 people and providing a stark reminder that American and Iraqi forces are still fighting a war on two fronts. While the...

I think that pretty much summed up the testimony of Pe-Crock yesterday, as well as the questioning from administration supporters like McCain and Graham. Chris Matthews actually hit the nail on the head when he said "he got nothing out of it." This was echoed by Michael...

(written with Ilan Goldenberg)

Here's a wrap up of the entire day of hearings. Only 14 hours til tomorrow...

1. Petraeus and Crocker refuse to tell us what our long term strategy is in Iraq, holding to the weak excuse that they can't make predictions into the

As McCain speaks tonight at the Naval Academy I doubt he will mention his part in "leading the charge" against providing our troops proper rest and recuperation. But it is worth recounting.

Last fall it looked like the two senators from Virginia, Republican John Warner and Democrat Jim...

SADR ORDERS MILITIA OFF THE STREETS, REFUSES TO HAND IN WEAPONS, DEMANDS FOLLOWERS' RELEASE

Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called on his followers on Sunday to stop battling government forces after a week of fighting in southern Iraq and Baghdad. "Because of the...

CIVIL WAR--STRETCHING FROM BAGHDAD TO BASRA--
CONTINUES TO THREATEN SECURITY GAINS

Sadr's Mahdi Army digs-in during assault by thousands of Iraqi soldiers and police trying to regain control of the southern port city of Basra. Basra has become the theater of a bitter turf war between the Mahdi Army...