John McCain visits Iraq

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The AP reports that McCain has made his 8th trip to Iraq (via Memeo):

BAGHDAD – Sen. John McCain, the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for president who has linked his political future to U.S. success in Iraq, was in Baghdad on Sunday for meetings with Iraqi and U.S. diplomatic and military officials, a U.S. government official said.

Details of McCain’s visit were not being released for security reasons, the U.S. Embassy said.

McCain’s visit was not announced and he was believed to have been in the country for several hours before reporters were able to confirm his arrival. It was unclear who he met with; no media opportunities or news conferences were planned.

McCain, a strong supporter of the U.S. military mission in Iraq, is believed to be staying in the country for about 24 hours.

“Senator McCain is in Iraq and will be meeting with Iraqi and U.S. officials,” said Mirembe Nantongo, spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

This is the senator’s eighth visit to Iraq. He’s accompanied by Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Before leaving, McCain said the trip to the Middle East and Europe was a fact-finding venture, not a campaign photo opportunity.

McCain’s commitment to winning in Iraq as part of the overall global war on terror is second to none. Too bad the same can’t be said of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who are in the midst of trying to make on-the-fence Americans believe they’d be just as strong as McCain on the issue of our national security.

Unsurpisingly, the NYTimes takes the opportunity right before the five year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq to cater to the Times liberal anti-war readers in writing about what a ‘mistake’ the invasion was, and how awful our presence supposedly has been there.

Forget them.

Remember instead our military and their families (scroll) – they have sacrificed so much for this cause, sacrifices that will be in vain if the US gives up in Iraq before their work is done. Remember, also, civilians who have volunteered to go to Iraq, people who have given so much – like ST reader NC Cop, who went to Iraq to help train the Iraqi police force, and who lost both his legs below the knee in an IED explosion in December 2005, and Larry and Jean Elliott – the parents of fellow blogger Scott Elliott, who I met a year and a half ago at a blogger conference in Greensboro. Mr. and Mrs. Elliott were Christian missionaries, and were killed in Mosul, Iraq on March 15, 2004. Scott has a tribute video posted at his site in their memory.

God bless you, Scott, and everyone – the military, their families, and the many who have volunteered their time in Iraq for a cause bigger and greater than themselves. You continue to be in our thoughts and prayers, and please know the sacrifices you have made will never be forgotten.

Cross-posted to Right Wing News, where I am helping guestblog for John Hawkins on Sundays.

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