Are they going to introduce amendments to state constitutions to stay in Iraq for 100 years, to draw the base to the polls?

For the love of Pete, *please* turn off smart quotes when you draft your content in something other than HTML. Every single apostrophe appears as ’ in my browser.

And if using smart quotes isn't the cause of the problem, then please figure out what it is.

That is all. ;-)

Believe me, as a citizen of the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts, please save your sympathy for someone who deserves it.

The fact that McCain is distorting Romney's quote doesn't mean Romney doesn't deserve it. The man, Romney, will lie and say anything that is necessary to get elected.

When he ran for Gov of MA, he SAID he was pro-choice and in support of gay marriage. I didn't believe him. I looked into his eyes, and saw it was a lie. And the majority of the voters in MA did believe him and voted him in. So much for having the smartest electorate in the country!

So, actually, conservatives could give him a pass, he lied to liberals so he could get elected,the he changed his positions, went around the country denigrating MA, and then ran for president. VILE, CONNIVING,TWO FACED, UNTRUSTWORTHY: all words too good for him!

And let me be the one of the many citizens of MA to apologize for foisting this jerk on the rest of the country!

"Is McCain suggesting that anyone, no matter how hawkish, who suggests a day will come when American troops will leave Iraq is on the wrong side?"

...as a matter of fact, yes, he is. How are we supposed to be there for 100 years if we are talking about leaving now? Not actually leaving; just talking. And what plays well in the primaries, at least for the GOP, will not be discussed, or even mentioned, in the general. Bank on it.

None will repudiate Bush. None will criticize the war. We need to stop the internecine party wars and support a progressive agenda to the bitter end of that war. The country is in economic and moral decline, thanks to agent Bush. Time for a new leaf.

A progressive (not cautious or apologetic) agenda.

For the love of Jebus.

If Americans vote for McCain, they will get War Without End...Iraq could be a 100-year war if McCain has his way. This sounds very scary, bordering on the loony. I have decorated war heroes in my family, but I find McCain to be half-cocked, war-mongering and downright scary. I do think it would make the perfect commercial to use this comments -- and I don't think it would be taking his comments out of context. I'd like to see Clinton come out swinging tonight at McCain for this crazy comment!

From an event in New Hampshire on Jan. 3rd:

Q: President Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq for 50 years — ” (cut off by McCain)

McCain: “Make it a hundred.”

Q: “Is that …” (cut off)

McCain: “We’ve been in South Korea … we’ve been in Japan for 60 years. We’ve been in South Korea 50 years or so. That would be fine with me. As long as Americans …”

Q: [tries to say something]

McCain: “As long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed. That’s fine with me, I hope that would be fine with you, if we maintain a presence in a very volatile part of the world where Al Queada is training and equipping and recruiting and motivating people every single day.

And which of the Democratic contenders is opposed to ending the war? I don't mean the war in Iraq, I mean war as a policy. In fact, both have publicly endorsed more war.

I'm supposed to see a difference here?

There is a huge difference between pacifism and the theory that states may legally engage in war depending upon the factual context of the dispute.

There is also a difference between the notion that states may legally engage in war and the notion that (1) anything less than total victory is a defeat and (2) that defeat is never acceptable.

McCain's war record and former POW status earns him a pass on seemingly every single radical, out of the mainstream position he takes on the war in Iraq (or any war for that matter). You'd think that someone who witnessed firsthand the horrors of warfare, torture and failed foreign policy would be more reluctant to place American troops in a bloody civil war and to be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians.

But no. Apparently, there's no war that McCain isn't boldly enthusiastic about...or at least, no war at the present time. Isn't this the same man who condemned Clinton's NATO bombing of Serbia?

ANY OTHER CANDIDATE who advocated such a ridiculous policy of maintaining troops in Iraq for decades, while at the same time encouraging the notion of more wars to come (anywhere, anytime) would face considerable condemnation in the media, its war cheerleading history notwithstanding. But because he was a POW, the criticism is muted to a significant degree.

Call me crazy, but McCain definitely has a screw loose. I wouldn't be able to comprehend the horrors of years of torture as a prisoner of war, but neither can I comprehend the mentality of a man who would experience all that and 30+ years later, would champion the continuation of neverending war and death.

I'm not a pacifist, but Obama and Clinton have pretty clearly endorsed continued military action whenever deemed necessary.

I don't see a difference between the Iraq occupation and our potential invasion of Iran or Pakistan under President Clinton or Obama.

In fact, I'd argue that the latter cases would be much more serious.

So which party is that slogan for? It seems like they both can lay claim to that slogan.

Who are you fooling?

People on happy pills?

Let's hope that McCain's inner-asshole is just too strong to resist, and he turns into a complete dick in the General.

He'll attract a certain number of people who like that sort of thing. But he'll repulse many more..if the whole kumbaya thing has any validity with the electorate this time around.

It'll be one very interesting General...but, we need a Dem in the White House. Any Dem. Just to keep the Bush Dog Dems in line, and the GOP quelled.

Me? I am in a long period of melancholy brought on in large part by the simple fact that Bush, Cheney, their minions, and the GOP are ALL going to get away clean as a whistle. They're gonna get away with it, folks, and if you think there aren't other proto-fascist politicians who have not taken note of that, think again.

We'll always rue Ford's pardon of Nixon. And we'll rue the fact that Cheney and Bush got away with it...that congress did not have the spine to nail them. That our aristocrats were perfectly ok with what those two have done. It's some bad, bad karma.