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What They're Saying
April 11, 2007
McCain's Speech At VMI Praised
Fox News' Fred Barnes: McCain Delivered One Of The Best Speeches "Explaining Why We Are There And Why We Have To Stay There And Why We Have To Win." "I thought this was a very good speech. It wasn't over the top, it was harsh, and I think the two best speeches that I've heard over the last four or five years about Iraq, explaining why we are there and why we have to stay there and why we have to win have actually both given by McCain. The first one was opening night at the Republican convention in New York in 2004 and then this one today." (Fox News' "Special Report," 4/11/07)
National Review Editorial: McCain's Speech At VMI "Was Truly Magnificent." "In response to his critics, the senator gave a speech on the war yesterday at the Virginia Military Institute that was truly magnificent. He correctly noted that the war is part of a broader 'struggle between violent extremists and the forces of modernity and moderation.' He stated - inarguably, in our view - that 'America has a vital interest in preventing the emergence of Iraq as a Wild West for terrorists, similar to Afghanistan before 9/11.'" (Editorial, "The McCain Divorce," National Review, 4/12/07)
- National Review Editorial: McCain "Is Right That The Surge Shows Promise." "As McCain would be the first to tell you, none of these developments means that victory is just over the horizon. But he is right that the surge shows promise - promise that, with a few notable exceptions, is ignored by mainstream media that apparently love the narrative of defeat more than they ever loved John McCain." (Editorial, "The McCain Divorce," National Review, 4/12/07)
- National Review Editorial: "[We] Can Only Brim With Admiration For The Clarion Voice He Has Sounded At This Critical Juncture In The War." (Editorial, "The McCain Divorce," National Review, 4/12/07)
The Washington Times Editorial: At VMI, McCain "Demonstrated ... Genuine Statesmanship - A Willingness To Tell Unpleasant Truths Regardless Of The Political Consequences." "In Washington, nothing comes easier to some political pundits than mindless cynicism. But some politicians advocate certain policies because they believe them to be the right thing for the country, even if they don't play tremendously well with the focus groups. In his address yesterday to cadets at the Virginia Military Institute, Sen. John McCain demonstrated that kind of genuine statesmanship - a willingness to tell unpleasant truths regardless of the political consequences." (Editorial, "McCain's Churchillian Address," The Washington Times, 4/12/07)
- The Washington Times Editorial: "Any voters who think that preventing defeat in Iraq should be a central concern should give Mr. McCain's brave, defiant and wise VMI speech a careful reading." (Editorial, "McCain's Churchillian Address," The Washington Times, 4/12/07)
Fox News' Mort Kondracke: McCain "Has A Lot Of Credibility When He Says That This War Can Be Won ... People Ought To Listen To Him." "He has a lot of credibility when he says that this war can be won. He has credibility gained from having been such a harsh critic of the way the war was fought in the first place, all the way along, ever since the beginning saying that there were not enough troops there, we were not guarding facilities ... Now he says that Petraeus has a plan to win and that there are glimmers of hope that we can win. People ought to listen to him." (Fox News' "Special Report," 4/11/07)
Fox News' Charles Krauthammer: McCain Made Case For Victory "Very Strongly" As "A Matter Of Principle." "He always maintained the war has to be won and it can be won ... He made that case today very strongly, and he said, I think, very sincerely that it is an unpopular course ... and that is a matter of principle." (Fox News' "Special Report," 4/11/07)
- Krauthammer: "It was extremely strong, it was crafted, and it made a case in favor of the war that even the President hasn't with that kind of strength and eloquence." (Fox News' "Special Report," 4/11/07)
The New York Times' David Brooks: "No One Can Doubt The Substance And Seriousness Of His Views." "He gave a speech at the Virginia Military Institute yesterday that was an extended argument for giving the surge a chance. ... no one can doubt the substance and seriousness of his views." (David Brooks, Op-Ed, "The Fatalist," The New York Times, 4/12/07)
- Brooks: "He's Been Consistent And Steady These Past Few Years, While Others Have Flickered." "He's been consistent and steady these past few years, while others have flickered. He's been offended by Democrats who laughed and celebrated during the passage of withdrawal legislation. Yesterday he criticized them in a way that was harsh but thoroughly considered." (David Brooks, Op-Ed, "The Fatalist," The New York Times, 4/12/07)
Fox News' Brit Hume: "John McCain in a speech that reflected careful preparation and his own conviction, made the case for victory in Iraq ..." (Fox News' "Special Report," 4/11/07)
National Journal's Hotline Blog: McCain Made "Perhaps The Most Powerful Plea A War Supporter Has Ever Sent To The American People Since The Troop Surge Began." "The speech was simple, direct, subtle and rooted in McCain's experience, not in the tilled soil of a speechwriters mind. It may be standard-setting - perhaps the most powerful plea a war supporter has ever sent to the American people since the troop surge began." (National Journal's Hotline "On Call" Blog, "On McCain's Speech," hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com, 4/11/07)
National Review's Kate O'Beirne: McCain "Effective [In] Making The Case For This War." "John McCain understands presidents don't lose wars. Countries lose wars. The kind of case he is able to make - and he has always been, I think, far more effective making the case for this war, and the need to give it one last chance, because the consequences of failure are so enormous, more effective than the White House has been - he thinks the public could again be rallied, when they understand the consequences of failure." (MSNBC's "Hardball," 4/11/07)
Powerline Blog's John Hinderaker: McCain's Speech "Excellent, Hard-Hitting ... Deeply Impressive ... Strikingly Blunt And Candid." "[J]ohn McCain delivered a speech on the Iraq war at Virginia Military Institute. It was an excellent, hard-hitting speech. ... McCain, talking about the war, is deeply impressive. I didn't think much of the 'Straight Talk Express' back in 2000, but in today's conference call, McCain was strikingly blunt and candid." (John Hinderaker, "Powerline" Blog, "McCain Unbound," www.powerlineblog.com, 4/11/07)
- Hinderaker: "John McCain Has Flung Down The Gauntlet On Behalf Of Victory, And We Applaud Him For It." "We are living through a depressing political season, in which craven political calculation routinely trumps concern for national security, and many on the left openly cheer for defeat. In this environment, John McCain has flung down the gauntlet on behalf of victory, and we applaud him for it." (John Hinderaker, "Powerline" Blog, "McCain Unbound," www.powerlineblog.com, 4/11/07)
"[M]cCain ... Spoke In Vivid And Even Apocalyptic Terms As He Issued A Forceful Call For The United States To Press On In Iraq." (Adam Nagourney, "McCain Says Democrats Play 'Small Politics' Over Iraq," The New York Times, 4/12/07)
McCain Called Courageous For Taking A Stand On An Unpopular Issue
The Wall Street Journal Editorial: "The Word For What [McCain] Is Demonstrating Is Character." "[N]ow that [McCain] is under attack from his erstwhile media 'base' for refusing to repudiate the war in Iraq, we think he deserves some covering fire. The word for what he's demonstrating is character." (Editorial, "McCain's Finest Hour," The Wall Street Journal, 4/11/07)
- The Wall Street Journal Editorial: "It's Hard Not To Respect" Putting Success In The War Above Personal Ambition. "[McCain] replied that he'd 'rather lose a campaign than lose a war.' It's hard not to respect that. Hard, too, not to notice that statements like those exist at a vast and principled remove from the recent Solonic utterances of other Senators who supported the war when it was popular." (Editorial, "McCain's Finest Hour," The Wall Street Journal, 4/11/07)
- The Wall Street Journal Editorial: "The Difference Is Not Merely Of Consistency But Of Conviction." "The difference is not merely of consistency but of conviction. Mr. McCain is making clear he understands that leadership is often by nature unpopular. He has been equally clear about the consequences of U.S. withdrawal from Iraq - 'chaos' and 'genocide' were among the scenarios he painted for Mr. Pelley." (Editorial, "McCain's Finest Hour," The Wall Street Journal, 4/11/07)
- The Wall Street Journal Editorial: "He has also shown that he understands the moral obligation his vote authorizing the war entailed, which was to see it through to victory, or at least until the conclusion becomes inescapable that victory is impossible." (Editorial, "McCain's Finest Hour," The Wall Street Journal, 4/11/07)
- The Wall Street Journal Editorial: McCain "Has Demonstrated That His Views On The Subject Are Serious And Born Of Belief." "Later today, Mr. McCain will deliver a speech at the Virginia Military Institute about how the war in Iraq can be won. Along with many Americans, we will listen with interest and respect, not because we always agree with Mr. McCain, but because he has demonstrated that his views on the subject are serious and born of belief, not of polls. That's more than can be said for most of our political and chattering classes, and a reason to admire a politician whose newfound unpopularity coincides with his finest political hour." (Editorial, "McCain's Finest Hour," The Wall Street Journal, 4/11/07)
National Review's Kate O'Beirne: "McCain Strongly Believes In The Position He Is Holding." "John McCain strongly believes in the position he is holding. It is clearly not a political calculation. He recognizes how unpopular it seems to be in public opinion polls. But, as he frequently says, 'I would rather lose a campaign than a war.'" (MSNBC's "Hardball," 4/11/07)
Republican Strategist Joe Watkins: "I Really Admire Him ... He Has Real Character." "I think that what John McCain has done is demonstrated that he is not about political ambition as much as he is about the best interests of the United States. And he is willing to stake political ambition and personal political gain on doing what is right. I really admire him for that. He has real character." (MSNBC's "News Live," 4/11/07)
The Associated Press Headline: "McCain Steadfast On Iraq War." (Liz Sidoti, "McCain Steadfast On Iraq War," The Associated Press, 4/12/07)
Powerline Blog's John Hinderaker: "[O]n The War Against Islamic Extremism ... No One Can Match McCain's Passion Or Credibility." "[O]n the war against Islamic extremism ... no one can match McCain's passion or credibility. You really do get the sense that he is willing to make this battle, on behalf of the young men and women who are fighting and have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, the last act of his career, if that is what it comes to." (John Hinderaker, "Powerline" Blog, "McCain Unbound," www.powerlineblog.com, 4/11/07)
- Hinderaker: "McCain is Churchillian in his recitation of the dangers we face and the difficulty of the task ahead." (John Hinderaker, "Powerline" Blog, "McCain Unbound," www.powerlineblog.com, 4/11/07)
Slate's John Dickerson: McCain Believes What He Is Saying On Iraq "Quite Passionately" "McCain has the advantage of believing what he is saying on this subject quite passionately. He does believe in the surge, and in Gen. Petraeus, and in doing what it takes to win the war, even if it means sending a lot more troops. Lest there be any doubt about his sincerity, McCain's son Jimmy is about to be deployed as a Marine." (John Dickerson, "McCain Doubles Down," www.slate.com, 4/11/07)
Outside The Beltway Blog's James Joyner: McCain "Quite Candid And Resigned To The Realities Of The Situation" In Iraq." "What strikes me is that McCain is ... quite candid and resigned to the realities of the situation. He's under no illusion that turning around the public skepticism about the war is going to be easy ... McCain was the guy that the campaign press loved so much in 2000: direct, candid, and plain talking." (James Joyner, "Outside The Beltway" Blog, "John McCain VMI Speech On Iraq War," www.outsidethebeltway.com, 4/11/07)
VMI Senior Cadet Dustin Schultz: "[McCain is] one of the few who has stayed true to the mission in Iraq." (Jonathan Martin, "McCain Promotes Surge Policy," www.politico.com, 4/11/07)
Congressional Candidate Duncan Duane Hunter (R-CA): "Senator McCain is absolutely right." (Fox News' "The Big Story," 4/11/07)
Fausta's Blog: "McCain Has A Sense Of Urgency ... At Least One Senator [Is] Earnest On Winning. "Among the members of the Senate, Sen. McCain has a sense of urgency. He also understands the connection between al-Qaeda and Iraq, while the Democrats in the House want to banish the term terror. During the bloggers' conference call he discussed progress in Iraq, the real possibility of ensuing chaos if the US leaves Iraq ... at least one Senator [is] earnest on winning." ("Fausta's" Blog, "Second Bloggers' Conference Call With Sen. John McCain," www.faustasblog.com, 4/11/07)
McCain Hailed As Steadfast Leader With Courage To Fight The War On Terror
Fox News' Brit Hume: "I think that what McCain is doing now may be the most courageous thing he's done in either of his presidential races." (Fox News' "Fox News Sunday," 4/8/07)
- Hume On McCain's Iraq Stance: "That Is Courage." "The war is unpopular. The surge of troops is under attack on Capitol Hill and elsewhere. The public doesn't like it, at least not yet. And John McCain is the most conspicuously in favor of it of any of the Republican candidates. That, in my view, is a sign of - that is courage, and that is going against the tide, and it will be interesting to see whether the mainstream media, which fell so in love with him when he seemed to be the maverick among Republicans back in 2000, changes its tune now where I think the mainstream media has, in effect, turned against him." (Fox News' "Fox News Sunday," 4/8/07)
- Hume: "There doesn't seem to be an ounce of political calculus or insincerity in the position he's taken here." (Fox News' "Special Report," 4/9/07)
Newsweek's Evan Thomas: McCain Has "Political Courage At A Time When We Think Politicians Have No Political Courage." "[O]ne thing about McCain that I appreciate, here we are saying politicians are inauthentic and they're not telling us the truth and just tell us what we want to hear. Well, no. McCain goes into audiences and says we need to do more in Iraq, not less. He has been consistent about it. ... He does have some political courage at a time when we think politicians have no political courage. I don't necessarily agree with him but I give him points for sticking with his platform." (MSNBC's "Imus In The Morning," 4/9/07)
NPR's Mara Liasson: McCain "Has Been A Completely Steadfast Supporter Of Succeeding And Doing What It Takes To Succeed." "[McCain] has been consistent. All along, he believed that there should have been more troops committed. And he's kind of of the school where if you're going to do something you should do it right and you should commit sufficient resources And he's been very critical of the way the war has been managed but has been a completely steadfast supporter of succeeding and doing what it takes to succeed and now he's a supporter of the surge." (Fox News' "Special Report," 4/9/07)
Fox News' Mort Kondracke: "I think that this is the gutsiest sort of Straight Talk Express behavior that John McCain has ever engaged in." (Fox News' "Special Report," 4/9/07)
RedState's Pejman Yousefzadeh: "Whatever else one might say about John McCain ... he deserves great praise for being one of the most stalwart supporters of the reconstruction effort in Iraq." (Pejman Yousefzadeh, "RedState" Blog, "Profile In Courage," www.redstate.com, 4/9/07)
Newsweek's Howard Fineman: "I agree with Evan that at least McCain has the courage of his convictions." (MSNBC's "Imus In The Morning," 4/9/07)
CBS' Bob Sheiffer: "I think it takes a lot of political courage to say I disagree with what the majority of the American people want." (CBS' "Face The Nation," 4/8/07)
Politico's Mike Allen: "I think people do appreciate honesty. I think that one thing that helps him on this is that telling you things you don't want to hear is congruent with the McCain straight talk brand." (CBS' "Face The Nation," 4/8/07)
MSNBC's Tucker Carlson: "I just say, off the top, I disagree with him in many ways, but I admire his courage. He's certainly not saying the fashionable thing at all. This is straight talk ..." (MSNBC's "Tucker," 4/2/07)
Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN): "John McCain, himself a former Navy airman and Vietnam P.O.W., is the third generation of his family's extraordinary American military leaders. He has never wavered in his belief in the justice of our cause in Iraq." (Rep. Mike Pence, "Pence" Blog, "Pence Blog From Iraq: Congressman In Baghdad, Reviews Surge, Visits Market With John McCain," penceblog.rcsinteractive.com, 4/3/07)
Investor's Business Daily Editorial: "[O]ne thing we'll say for the senator from Arizona: He's been a steadfast, and valuable, supporter in America's fight against terror. As polls show the popularity of the Iraq War to be marginal at best, it's refreshing to see a politician staying firm in his support of it ..." (Editorial, "McCain As Mensch, Reid As Schmuck," Investor's Business Daily, 4/4/07)
- Investor's Business Daily Editorial: "[McCain] voted for the war in 2002, supported it when it was going well and didn't go wobbly when it wasn't. And he still stands behind it today. ... In fact, his most memorable comment - 'I would rather lose an election than lose a war' - stands as a great modern statement of political principle. We wish other politicians had such character." (Editorial, "McCain As Mensch, Reid As Schmuck," Investor's Business Daily, 4/4/07)
The Boston Herald's Virginia Buckingham: "Foreign affairs experience is going to be a huge factor in 2008 and McCain's oft-repeated line - that he'd rather win the war and lose the campaign - underscores what voters already think about him - he's the real deal." (Virginia Buckingham, Op-Ed, "Even When Down, He's Upstanding," The Boston Herald, 4/5/07)
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