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Countdown Tuesday: Surge Protector

Posted: Tuesday, July 22, 2008 8:59 PM by Countdown
Filed Under:

Surge Protector:  Senator John McCain... Now staking his candidacy entirely on the surge. Entirely on his claim that he believed in the need for a surge of U-S forces in Iraq... even before President Bush did. Tonight has proven that he does not understand one of the fundamental facts about it.

Gramm of Prevention:  On Friday, the Straight Talk was that McCain economic advisor Phil Gramm was off the campaign, after calling America a "nation of whiners." Only three days later, the straight talk was... that Gramm's advice would continue to be critical, his relationship with McCain... as strong as ever. Our fourth story tonight... gone but not forgotten -- except he's not even gone.

ODDBALL: Snooty the manatee, a corn maze of Obama and McCain, and a guy sticks it to the man!

Abuses Excused:  Why on earth would President Bush pre-emptively pardon the criminals in his own administration for illegal torture and detention, or illegal wiretapping against Americans... If Senator Obama's legal advisor says Obama's attorney general wouldn't prosecute those criminals anyway? Our third story on the Countdown: heads they win, tails we lose... Amid the fading hopes of holding the Administration to account.

Worsts...see below.


WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD:  Brett Baier  and Bill-O vie for tonight's top honors.

Lewis is Here:  Senator John McCain said it himself -- Quote -- "In a time of war the Commander in Chief doesn't get a learning curve." And yet, in our number one story on the Countdown, the Senator received an 'incomplete' on his essay about the war... from a paper that endorsed him for the Republican nomination. The New York Times rejected McCain's Op-Ed submission on Iraq because it lacked certain details... such as, any definition of victory in Iraq, even though the thing was about victory in Iraq. Tonight, another news organization did him a huge favor -- in his interview with CBS McCain made an incredible gaffe -- he claimed the awakening of the Sunni Iraqis was the result of the Surge, even though the Sunnis started cooperating nearly half a year before the Surge began. CBS was kind enough to edit McCain's mistake out of the interview that appeared on what is referred to, in apparent irony, as the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. All this serving as prologue... to my special guest.

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Comments

Over the last few days I have watch MSNBC, CNN and FOX News and all seem to report the same regarding the success in Iraq.  Which the say, it was the "SURGE".  Michael Ware reported last year that one major factor to the reduction of the violence was that the U.S. spending large amounts of money paying several key faction leaders to lay down their weapons.
Is Michael Ware's information true?  Keith, if this is so, how much of this can be part of the equation to the Success in Iraq.  What will happen when the U.S. stop paying these key players?

Mario Torres (Sent Wednesday, July 23, 2008 12:20 AM)

I believe that somewhere in the news I heard part of the surge was to pay insurgents money not to attack US troops. Is this true?  If so, is this how you make the surge work, pay the other side not to shoot your side? Is this what is meant when it is said that the surge "worked"? If so, may be the Viet Cong should have been paid not to shoot and Viet Nam would have worked.

E.T. Pisarek (Sent Wednesday, July 23, 2008 2:43 AM)

Keith I thank you for keeping me informed about McCain. You're the only person that I know of this far that is reporting on McCain's big gaffes, surrogates problems and much more that needs to be known. Here I thought during the Wright so call controversy that no one was going to cover McCain. At some point I thought you were going to stick with the Wright "story" but you listened to your viewers about covering John McCain. Thank you so much for exposing this rat that is McCain.

Stephanie (Sent Wednesday, July 23, 2008 5:59 AM)

Keith - Still waiting on your admonishment of Obama for his FISA vote. Probably won't come, though. And for the upteenth time - why doesn't the current congress bring charges up on Bush? They've got the majority. And why don't you call them out for failing to so? What...nearly two years in charge not enough time?  

Chuck, Centerville, OH (Sent Wednesday, July 23, 2008 8:36 AM)

Keith,
One could look at the Phil Gramm "mystery" from another front: the revelation of Gramm's investment in soft core porn might have moved McCain to "shadow" the porn mogul to appease conservative Christian  consternation.

Tony Springer, Ridgeland, MS (Sent Wednesday, July 23, 2008 9:06 AM)

This is definitely a comment for the Oddball section and anyone who loves baseball. From my Dictionary of Forgotten English, the word of the day is "Baseballist" A player or supporter of baseball. From William Cragie's Dictionary of American English,1940. On this day in 1908, Englishman Alfred Maurice Low's "America at Home," was published. It offered an outsider's critical perspective of America's national pastime. Keith, welcome to CA!

Sandy, Bermuda Dunes, CA (Sent Wednesday, July 23, 2008 11:57 AM)

i find it amazingly hard to believe that mccain can continue to make these gaffes about things that (as a presidential candidate) he should know about. i guess that if he's molding himself after the bush administration, then we should be expecting these types of blunders.
also, mccain (as keith said) basically accusing obama of sedition is completely ridiculous. couldn't all of the bush administration's high crimes and misdemeanors against the constitution be considered sedition?

hannah, cabin john, md (Sent Wednesday, July 23, 2008 1:10 PM)

As far as worst person Mr. O he is a Bully and bullys are cowards. I learned that in gramer school. He is upset that Al Gore went to the conference and not to his show.  That is childish behavior. I would pitty him if he wasn't so just plain mean. He is boading into the scary zone.

Timothy Worley, Peoria, Illinois (Sent Wednesday, July 23, 2008 2:19 PM)

Keith,

Just a small correction from last night's show:

They are called Canada Geese not Canadian Geese.

Craig Vandeventer, Cedar Rapids, IA (Sent Wednesday, July 23, 2008 3:36 PM)

Why is it that on Tuesday, and today on Wednesday, the reporter's mouth isn't in sync with what they are saying?  We really missed your program last night, because it was so hard to watch with this situation.

Regina Waldon (Sent Wednesday, July 23, 2008 3:56 PM)

why would you post Regina Waldon's question without providing an answer? is this not proof that all you are really doing is wasting the limited space of this blog?

P.C.R. (Sent Wednesday, July 23, 2008 9:57 PM)

Why is it that on Tuesday, and today on Wednesday, the reporter's mouth isn't in sync with what they are saying?  We really missed your program last night, because it was so hard to watch with this situation.
Regina Waldon (Sent Wednesday, July 23, 2008 3:56 PM)

The show experienced techinical difficulty during the live interview. It's something the show can't fix as it is happening, but will get sorted out tonight.  Thanks for the question.

Countdown (Sent Thursday, July 24, 2008 10:25 AM)

thank you, thank you, thank you. nice work.

P.C.R. (Sent Thursday, July 24, 2008 6:34 PM)

I am not sure why some people perceived that the surge is working. Millions of Iraqis were sent to live in camps in Jordan,Syria, part of Turkey,Iran and Egypt. If these millions of people are out of their country, how many people are left to fight. In my opinion, the surge is not working.

Jimmy Jam (Sent Thursday, July 31, 2008 12:45 AM)



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