McCain's 100-Soldier Stroll (Updated)

Can someone please tell me what happened to John McCain? Seven years ago, the guy was as brave a national political candidate as I had seen -- unvarnished, iconoclastic, and totally allergic to the kind of BS, photo-op-driven campaigning that every other Presidential wannabe was doing daily.

But today; oh God, today. The guy has become practically Kerry-esque. First he told a talk radio host that there are "are neighborhoods in Baghdad where you and I could walk through." Then, when the claim was widely mocked, he went to Baghdad to prove his point, strolling around a local market. "I've been here... many times over the years... Never have I been able to go out into the city, as I was today," he said in a Green Zone press conference.

Of course, McCain neglected to mention that his outing was into an area just a "three minute" drive from the Green Zone. Or that he was wearing body armor, at the time. Or that he was accompanied by "100 American soldiers, with three Blackhawk helicopters, and two Apache gunships overhead."

In other words, "U.S. soldiers were ordered into harms way just to ensure a congressional delegation could walk around [and] look serious," Larry Johnson notes. "Seriously, just how stupid does McCain think we are?" adds Kevin Drum. "Doesn't he realize that this kind of thing just draws attention to exactly how dangerous Baghdad still is? He's accomplished the exact opposite of what he set out to do."

In more ways than one. The country -- hell, the world -- could use the vintage John McCain right now.

Now, McCain has been a big supporter of the the troop increase in
Iraq. And there are some indications that the "surge" is having a positive effect, in several Baghdad neighborhoods. One thing I didn't realize -- and maybe I haven't been reading closely enough -- is that only 40% of the increased troops have made their way to Baghdad, so far. As Iraq commander Gen. David Petraeus notes in an interview with Op For:

*We are only a few weeks into the Baghdad Security plan. Only two of the five surge Brigades have been inserted into the city. *

Let's hope McCain's theatrics don't undermine support for what appears to be good work.

UPDATE: As most long-time readers know, I've been skeptical about the whole Iraq adventure for a long, long time. But before anyone sets any kind of timeline for pulling combat troops out, we've got to answer moms like Cathy Floyd, who's son is in his second tour in Iraq:

Now, let me get this straight: We're going to put our men and women in danger every minute for 17 months but we have no objective other than to leave?

UPDATE 2: Oh, and by the way, that whole kerfuffle about McCain being "heckled" seems to have been totally off-base.

UPDATE 3: "A day after members of an American Congressional delegation led by Senator John McCain pointed to their brief visit to Baghdad’s central market as evidence that the new security plan for the city was working, the merchants there were incredulous about the Americans’ conclusions."

“What are they talking about?” Ali Jassim Faiyad, the owner of an electrical appliances shop in the market, said Monday. “The security procedures were abnormal!”*

The delegation arrived at the market, which is called Shorja, on Sunday with more than 100 soldiers in armored Humvees — the equivalent of an entire company — and attack helicopters circled overhead, a senior American military official in Baghdad said. The soldiers redirected traffic from the area and restricted access to the Americans, witnesses said, and sharpshooters were posted on the roofs. The congressmen wore bulletproof vests throughout their hourlong visit.

“They paralyzed the market when they came,” Mr. Faiyad said during an interview in his shop on Monday. “This was only for the media.”