John McCain Offers Upbeat View Of Iraq In The Face Of Dire Facts

John McCain and a small group of Republican lawmakers who toured Iraq this weekend seemed more concerned with making the event a political one, rather than a true fact-finding mission. Amid heavy security which included wearing body armor, helicopter and humvee security, and surrounded by a close quarter of U.S. troops, McCain and the others ventured into a market area for one photo-opt press statement about the "improving" conditions in Iraq.

McCain is running for President right now. He hasn't yet disclosed his first period figures for donations which may be disappointing compared to others such as Mitt Romney who runs slightly behind him in the polls. With Rudolph Giuliani well ahead of McCain in current polls, and the odds on favorite to win the Republican nomination and presidential election both at this point, McCainis hard pressed to appear to be a viable candidate any longer. About the only way that McCain could make some news of his own is to get on the news with an appearance in Iraq and appear as loyal to the Bush Iraq War policies despite clear evidence that the "surge" or new securitty measures in Iraq are simply not working so far.

Just yesterday, the Iraqi government's own Interior Ministry reported that 1,861 persons lost their lives in violence in Iraq, or 229 more than in February. Both of these figures are worse than the monthly average of 1,500 deaths only months before. If the new security measures were indeed working, then it would seem likely that the death figures would be decreasing, not worsening.

Certainly there are some neighborhoods in Baghdad that are more safe than others. In one neighborhood, about 125 of the original 600 stores and shops are now open for business. However, most families now only send out one family member to buy groceries or other goods so that the entire family would not die if there is a car bombing or other violence. Is this really progress?

John McCain may not have a very good fundraising report for this first quarter. He desperately want's to make "positive" news for his lagging political efforts, as well as appearing to be loyal to the Bush policies in order to shore up strength among the conservative base of his party. McCain is weak with this base, as well as steadily losing ground to Giuliani. McCain's visit to Iraq was largely only a political one to salvage some respect for a fast fading campaign effort. This visit to Iraq was hardly a sincere attempt to accurately portray the situation in Iraq. This visit was purely political grandstanding.