1115.org

John McCain, who displays a fundamental misunderstanding of history, and what we need to do in the future to maintain our security in the face of the transcendent challenge of radical Islamic extremism, decided to address Barack Obama’s fitness to be be President yesterday in these terms:

Responding to Obama’s frequent mocking of McCain’s suggestion that U.S. troops might remain in Iraq for 100 years, the Republican nominee-in-waiting said the Illinois senator failed to understand that America has kept forces in Korea, Japan, Germany and Kuwait long after wars in each country ended.

“In all due respect (sic), it displays a fundamental misunderstanding of history, of how we’ve maintained national security, and what we need to do in the future to maintain our security in the face of the transcendent challenge of radical Islamic extremism,” McCain told reporters on his campaign plane.

“And I understand that, because he has no experience or background in any of it,” McCain added.

Maybe McCain himself does understand the difference between the wars we fought with Japan and Germany or in Korea and Kuwait, and the war we’re trapped in in Iraq right now, and maybe he doesn’t. (Honesty requirements compel us to point out that nothing he has ever said on the subject of the Iraq war supports the conjecture that he does understand the difference.)

For that matter, maybe McCain himself does not know or understand the difference between the words “know” and “understand”?

I am willing to stipulate that Obama, McCain, Clinton or everybody else who ran or is still running for President this year (including Ralph Nader, why not) knows that America has kept forces in Korea, Japan, Germany and Kuwait long after wars in each country ended.

So what is McCain’s point? Obama knows we kept forces in these countries long after the relevant wars ended, but he doesn’t understand that we did?

Also, I don’t know about you, but I’m really encouraged by the fact that Obama’s not having any experience or background in any of it has led McCain to understand … what exactly?

As best as I can make out, Obama’s lack of experience or background in any of it has led McCain to understand that Obama’s failure to understand that America has kept forces in Korea, Japan, Germany and Kuwait long after wars in each country ended, displays a fundamental misunderstanding of history, of how we’ve maintained national security, etc.

That makes about as much sense as anything McCain has said to date in his quest for the presidency.

(As you can probably tell, I’m hoping like mad McCain didn’t mean that he understands how we’ve maintained national security, and what we need to do in the future etc., because Obama has no experience or background in any of it.)

For the record, I know he wants to be president. I know he thinks he has a chance. But I don’t understand why he thinks he has a chance.

Even if Obama and Clinton beat each other to a bloody pulp till the Democratic convention at the end of August, and the survivor wages just an 8-week campaign against McCain, there’s still no way John McCain is going to be the next president of the United States. And I’m willing to back that up with real money.