McCain vs. Hagel

In an effort to provide more balanced political coverage, here are John McCain and Chuck Hagel trashing each other on ABC's "This Week." Oh, the horror, the horror.

Courtesy of TruthDig:

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., took turns trash-talking each other’s Iraq proposals on Sunday’s “This Week.” Hagel threw McCain’s words back at him, calling his benchmark plan for Iraq “disingenuous,” while McCain said that, other than his own, “they’re all bad options....”

Chuck Hagel on John McCain’s benchmark plan:

Yes, and then having no consequences, now that’s intellectually dishonest. So what are the consequences? Are we then going to pull out? If the benchmarks are not met by the Maliki government, are we then going to walk out? Are we then going to bring our troops home? Are we going to cut funding? Now, that falls more in the intellectually dishonest category.

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McCain defends his plan:

Well, the consequences are obvious. I mean, if they’re not meeting those benchmarks, then obviously the new strategy isn’t succeeding. And I can’t tell you what the other options are, because there are no good options to this. If there was a good option to what we’re doing, to sending more young Americans in harm’s way, I’d tell you. They’re all bad options, in my view, if this one isn’t supported and succeeds.

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This could be a preview of the major battle in the GOP nomination for 2008, if Hagel decides to run.

Tags: Chuck Hagel, John McCain, Iraq War, This Week, TruthDig