McCain Clarifies

I wrote last night's post about Frank Rich's column on John McCain's stroll through the Baghdad market before I saw any of the interview he did yesterday with 60 Minutes. It's clear from that segment that McCain's looking to get back into the game. He's not viewing the Iraqi market gaffe as a career-ending mistake. Here's a bit from the transcript of the interview he did with Scott Pelley (with an interjection or two from me):

PELLEY: We took a walk through a Baghdad market yesterday. But backing up that stroll through the market was ten armored Humvees, soldiers with rifles, and two Apache attack helicopters circling overhead. That doesn't seem like a safe neighborhood.

MCCAIN: I didn't see the helicopters [he didn't see them--it's almost like they weren't even there!], and nor did I ask for that kind of security [he didn't ask for it, so maybe he didn't even want it!]. But I understand why they would provide me with that security [which is why he didn't ask, I guess, because he's a military man, and he knew they'd give it to him without him having to ask]. But I can tell you, if it had been two months ago and I'd asked to do it, they would have said, "Under no circumstances whatsoever." [See? That's improvement--two months ago, he couldn't have even walked in that market with ten armored Humvees, soldiers with rifles, and two Apache attack helicopters circling overhead, but now he can. It's much safer.] I walked through very narrow lanes. The Apache helicopters couldn't see me. [They couldn't see him, he couldn't see them. I think that officially nullifies the Apache helicopters.] The armored vehicles were parked out in the street. [So they were effectively out of the picture, too. What we're left with is that McCain went walking through the market with only a flack jacket and dozens of heavily armed combat-ready troops. Who's claiming this isn't a safe neighborhood, again?] I'm very pleased that we had the opportunity to go into a neighborhood in Baghdad which I couldn't have before. I view that as a sign of progress. [It's worth repeating that two months ago, John McCain couldn't have gone out for a walk there even accompanied by ten armored Humvees, soldiers with rifles, and two Apache attack helicopters circling overhead. Now he can. Progress, anyone?]

McCain also addresses some of his statements that may have hurt him a little bit lately, and he does it with just the same kind of straight talk we would've expected from him seven years ago. A little while back, he claimed that General Petraeus would sometimes go into Baghdad in an unarmored Humvee. Some people took exception to that, and no-nonsense McCain addressed the situation head on.

There is [sic] no unarmored Humvees -- obviously, that's the case. I'm trying to make the point over and over and over again that we are making progress. And there are signs of progress, that it's long, and it's hard and it's tough. To take one sentence of mine out of 1,000 -- you know, life isn't fair. But the fact is, that's my message.

So OK, yeah, contrary to what he said earlier, Petraeus doesn't actually go out in an unarmored Humvee. But McCain only said he did because he was making a point. Although he doesn't say so in so many words, the implication is clear that if he'd been able to make the same point by telling the truth, he would have done so! It's only when the facts don't back up his points that he's going to fall back on untruths. And how many politicians would admit to that? Hello again, Straight Talk! But he goes on:

But look, as long as you are as open to the media as I am, of course I'm going to misspeak. I have done it on numerous occasions, and I probably will in the future. I regret that when I divert attention to something that I've said from my message. But, you know, that's just life, and I'm happy, frankly, with the way that I operate. Otherwise, it'd be a lot less fun.

He's right--it is more fun to lie. McCain is back, and like always, he's not pulling punches with the press. It'll be no time until he's back pulling his way up into the polls again.