I Didn't Say What I Just Said

This was so obvious that we might need to start calling John McCain what they used to say about George Romney, that the most prevalent line in stories written about him was "he later clarified his remarks."

Here's the statement from McCain spokesperson Tucker Bounds blasting Dems -- and, presumably, us, since we posted shorter vid -- for ignoring the fuller context here:

"The Obama campaign is embarking on a false attack on John McCain to hide their own candidate's willingness to disregard facts on the ground in pursuit of withdrawal no matter what the costs. John McCain was asked if he had a 'better estimate' for a timeline for withdrawal. As John McCain has always said, that is not as important as conditions on the ground and the recommendations of commanders in the field. Any reasonable person who reads the full transcript would see this and reject the Obama campaign's attempt to manipulate, twist and distort the truth."

Well, it's always a distortion, isn't it.

Look, this isn't that hard. McCain was asked about withdrawal and he said that wasn't as important as making sure there weren't any casualties. He was asked the day before about conditions on sending troops back in to reduce casualties and he said that he would do whatever it takes. Put the two statements together and it's a prescription for endless war. He will keep troops in there forever until casualties stop, and he'd keep troops there afterwards in a support role. He thinks withdrawal means losing as opposed to the only hope in Iraq for stability and reconciliation between the factions. To quote Gov. Dean:

"Senator McCain is wrong. One of the most important questions in this campaign is when and how Senator McCain would bring our troops home from Iraq. Senator McCain stubbornly refuses to acknowledge that the American people do not want our brave troops in Iraq for 100 years under any circumstances. They want a president who will end the war responsibly."

The Iraqis don't even want American troops in Iraq for longer than absolutely necessary. They are rejecting a permanent commitment. The only two people in the world who want it are John McCain and George Bush.

UPDATE: McCain doesn't know what he's talking about with respect to Iraq. Period. He wants troops to stay so he can never have to admit that he was wrong.

UPDATE II: Shorter Joe Lieberman: McCain was in the shit, maaan!

UPDATE III: The DNC sums it up: