Keith Olbermann’s Special Comment for June 12th (full text here) was in regards to John McCain’s comment during an interview on NBC’s Today Show. When asked if our “success” (in McCain’s mind) in Iraq made a timeline for withdrawal more clear, he had the following to say:
“No, but that’s not too important … What’s important is the casualties in Iraq. Americans are in South Korea. Americans are in Japan. American troops are in Germany. That’s all fine.”
Obama’s campaign was incredibly efficient in drawing attention to the quote a few hours later on that very same day, to which McCain’s response was that it was taken out of context. Olbermann pays us special attention to the context of that quote, and it doesn’t sound any better. My favorite snippet is right here:
You have attested to: a fairly easy success; an overwhelming victory in a very short period of time; in which we would be welcomed as liberators; which you assured us would not require our troops stay for decades but merely for years; from which we could bring them all home, since you noted many Iraqis resent American military presence; in which all those troops coming home will also stay there, not being injured, for a hundred years; but most will be back by 2013; and the timing of their return, is not that important.
That, Sen. McCain, is context.
And that, Sen. McCain, is madness.
Context, indeed.