'How McCain Stays Popular Despite Supporting Disastrous Wars'

Posted Apr 2, 2008 by ■ Chris Hogg in Politics 11 comments

Photo courtesy John McCain 2008 - www.JohnMcCain.com

Republican presidential nominee, John McCain

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This is a pretty interesting opinion piece from AlterNet and could spark some interesting conversation here on DJ.

The article looks at why McCain keeps his popularity in the face of a long-standing war in Iraq that many Americans disprove of. Forget the Left-wing VS. Right-Wing in this sense and check out the thesis of this post:

McCain is offering us the war in Iraq just the way Ronald Reagan offered us the war on drugs. Both are wars that can never be won in any practical sense. But it's not about winning. It's about keeping up the fight. Because in both cases the "war" is theater. It's a show of moral clarity and certainty. And the show must go on.
The "war on drugs" has been going on for decades now. Every year it claims thousands of jailed victims and several billion of our tax dollars. No one who looks at the evidence can seriously think that all this will actually stop people from using drugs illegally.

Then comes some spin:

The war in Iraq -- and perhaps every war the United States fights -- is just as much a staged spectacle as the war on drugs. Most Americans are not interested in the complexities of Iraqi political infighting.
[...]
McCain and his campaign strategists understand (either consciously or just intuitively) that war is theater. They know how to write a script that evokes the mythic scenarios that have framed the discourse of American identity since colonial times. It's more than merely a script about good against evil.

Whether you support McCain or not, do you agree with this article's position, comparing the War in Iraq to the War on Drugs?

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Comments (11)

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Apr 2, 2008 by ■ Samantha A. Torrenceflagged as abuse - show comment
#1

If you look at the war now, yes I think it could be compared to the war on drugs. There is no end in sight, and many see it as futile. However I do disagree I think there will be an end. McCain wasn't saying that we would be at this reconstruction phase for 100 years, just that we would have a presence there as we do in Japan and Germany. 5 years to topple a regime, and help establish a new government and help impose security so that goverment will have a chance is really impossible. The reconstruction of a country will take a while. Even though there are so many divisions in Iraq based on infighting we have already seen much cooperation and gain despite it all. I think there will be an end to this war, it just isn't going to be some instant gratification that many in America would like to have.

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Apr 2, 2008 by ■ Chris Hoggflagged as abuse - show comment
#2

When will it end Sam? There will no doubt be a date that America pulls out but does that mean the war was won or lost as the ending?
There is a lot of gain but I don't see an end in sight. Canada has been in Afghanistan for what, seven years now? The war is mostly over but peacekeeping doesn't really end.

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Apr 2, 2008 by ■ Samantha A. Torrenceflagged as abuse - show comment
#3

I don't know when it will end, but I can't say it will never end. There is a big difference at least as I see it, between Afghanistan and Iraq. Iraq wants it, they want to have a strong army, the government wants to have order in the streets, they have met benchmarks the American government couldn't even meet for thier own people. The Iraqi people are motivated. They have formed neighborhood watch groups, the Sons of Iraq are one of the most organized. People have bridged the gap between Sunni and Shiite because they want peace. I could be wrong, maybe I am not looking enough into the Afghanistan situation, but they just seem to me to be far more motivated.

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Apr 2, 2008 by ■ Helena Handbasketflagged as abuse - show comment
#4

Most Americans are not interested in the complexities of Iraqi political infighting.

It is the tribal mentality read political infighting keeping the war alive in Iraq and Afghanistan. If the Muslim tribes are killing each other and everyone in their path aka coalition forces the war will continue chugging along. If radical imans continue to preach hatred of the infidels, and global domination the war will continue chugging along. If moderate Islam continues to be complicit in their silence around the globe -- more chugging, more Islamization, more terror.
Trying to establish a democracy in either hate-filled theatre is like pissing into the wind. Futile and messy. If the coalition pulls out -- messy will be a weak word that doesn't even register. The drug trade doesn't hold a candle to the Middle Eastern sand hell.

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Apr 2, 2008 by ■ Samantha A. Torrenceflagged as abuse - show comment
#5

Show quoted comment from ■ Helena Handbasket
@■ Helena Handbasket
Trying to establish a democracy in either hate-filled theatre is like pissing into the wind. Futile and messy. If the coalition pulls out -- messy will be a weak word that doesn't even register. The drug trade doesn't hold a candle to the Middle Eastern sand hell.

How true, if we do pull out then we will see what it is like when the poo hits the oscillator at this point breaking our commitment could be far more dangerous.

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Apr 3, 2008 by ■ Gar Swaffarflagged as abuse - show comment
#6

They want to know: Will the good guys -- that's us, America -- win the day? Do we still have the ability and the will to succeed? Is America still, as the motto behind McCain in that latest TV ad claims, "a nation of courage
"?
The premise of the article in my opinion fails at one point.
The current War on Jihad is not even close to the concept of a victimless crime. The type of crime in theory being prosecuted in the War on Drugs.
The WoJ has victims, From the Beriut Barracks bombing until the WTC. The WoD initially had no "victims" except those created by the adherence to laws on the books against drug use, importation, selling etc. ..
The marketing of the two Wars is not relevant to me, One is for survival against a 7th Century Religious/Political construct, and the other is against a form of human bondage.
Neither foe should be tolerated, but the War on Drugs was lost long ago, not on the streets, but in the court system.
The courage to wage that war with a logical approach has evaporated. In it's place is left only the iconic bastions of legality.

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Apr 4, 2008 by ■ redhawkflagged as abuse - show comment
#7

HERE we go again... The awr agains Iraq was INEVITABLE if only the Clueless Critics would wake up from the SLUMBER of the 90's under Clinton and get in tune with the REAL and Present Danger By Usama Bin Laden, and his happy group of killers, to us and Western Civilization... The constant empty BS about WMD is getting to be nothing but EMPTY RETHORIC.. Actually Saddam DID use WMD so GET over it!
The battle was WON at first But poor Planning and Execution became apparent for the aftermath and Mac Cain was one of a small handful to understand that in order to Win we Needed additional troops and a Better Civilian effort on our part in order to get Iraq to reconstitude a free State ( Petraeus and Croker have done just that)... the Afghan "Only" Morons are again missing the point since even Bin Ladin declared Iraq the Focal point on his plan... W Got it.. Clintonistas still don't get it and are constantly acting like idiots...

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Apr 4, 2008 by ■ redhawkflagged as abuse - show comment
#8

Show quoted comment from ■ Chris Hogg
@■ Chris Hogg
When will it end Sam? There will no doubt be a date that America pulls out but does that mean the war was won or lost as the ending?
There is a lot of gain but I don't see an end in sight. Canada has been in Afghanistan for what, seven years now? The war is mostly over but peacekeeping doesn't really end.

NOT Seven years quite yet Chris.. Unless they went in before the US Marines and Army..

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Apr 4, 2008 by ■ redhawkflagged as abuse - show comment
#9

Show quoted comment from ■ Helena Handbasket
@■ Helena Handbasket
It is the tribal mentality read political infighting keeping the war alive in Iraq and Afghanistan. If the Muslim tribes are killing each other and everyone in their path aka coalition forces the war will continue chugging along. If radical imans continue to preach hatred of the infidels, and global domination the war will continue chugging along. If moderate Islam continues to be complicit in their silence around the globe -- more chugging, more Islamization, more terror.
Trying to establish a democracy in either hate-filled theatre is like pissing into the wind. Futile and messy. If the coalition pulls out -- messy will be a weak word that doesn't even register. The drug trade doesn't hold a candle to the Middle Eastern sand hell.

MINOR POINT that Might be MISSED .. It took the American Colonies 13 Years to get a form of Democratic Republic in EFFECT .. and all the while they were not Fighting Terrorists, nor Common borders foreign Nations supplying, training and Funding such terror attacks...

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Apr 4, 2008 by ■ Samantha A. Torrenceflagged as abuse - show comment
#10

Show quoted comment from ■ redhawk
@■ redhawk
NOT Seven years quite yet Chris.. Unless they went in before the US Marines and Army..

Technically we have been fighting this war since the late 80's with a major offensive in the early 90's. I dont' have exact dates. We have already been there. When we ended the war too early my father in law predicted we would be back in 10 years. He didn't live long enough to see his prediction come true, he died of Gulf War Syndrome. He was pissed we didn't finish up then, and now his son has gone over to mop up the mess that was never completed. If we don't complete it we are at risk of starting all over again, and if you think the death toll is bad this time, it will be worse if we pull out and go back in at a later date. We would have to resecure the area, establish peace again... you know the drill. And yes we would have to go back because the world would demand we clean up the mess when the middle east goes out of control yet again and causes another oil crisis like in the 1970's that would effect far more than America.

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Apr 9, 2008 by ■ redhawkflagged as abuse - show comment
#11

Show quoted comment from ■ Samantha A. Torrence
@■ Samantha A. Torrence
Technically we have been fighting this war since the late 80's with a major offensive in the early 90's. I dont' have exact dates. We have already been there. When we ended the war too early my father in law predicted we would be back in 10 years. He didn't live long enough to see his prediction come true, he died of Gulf War Syndrome. He was pissed we didn't finish up then, and now his son has gone over to mop up the mess that was never completed. If we don't complete it we are at risk of starting all over again, and if you think the death toll is bad this time, it will be worse if we pull out and go back in at a later date. We would have to resecure the area, establish peace again... you know the drill. And yes we would have to go back because the world would demand we clean up the mess when the middle east goes out of control yet again and causes another oil crisis like in the 1970's that would effect far more than America.

I Stand corrected If you were going with the " No fly Zone" activities.. And YES I agree with you Totally that IF we have to go back. it will be bloodier and More Costly and the world will be in a HIGHER level of danger... IRAN is the crux to the puzzle.....

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