This from an interview as recently as 2005:
When asked specifically if he thought the U.S. military should set up shop in Iraq along the lines of what has been established in post-WWII Germany or Japan — something McCain has repeatedly advocated during the campaign — the senator offered nothing short of a categorical "no." "I would hope that we could bring them all home," he said on MSNBC. "I would hope that we would probably leave some military advisers, as we have in other countries, to help them with their training and equipment and that kind of stuff."
Host Chris Matthews pressed McCain on the issue.
"You’ve heard the ideological argument to keep U.S. forces in the Middle East. I’ve heard it from the hawks. They say, keep United States military presence in the Middle East, like we have with the 7th Fleet in Asia. We have the German…the South Korean component. Do you think we could get along without it?"
McCain held fast, rejecting the very policy he urges today. "I not only think we could get along without it, but I think one of our big problems has been the fact that many Iraqis resent American military presence," he responded. "And I don’t pretend to know exactly Iraqi public opinion. But as soon as we can reduce our visibility as much as possible, the better I think it is going to be."
This is the reason his 100-years comment is a completely legitimate issue. Jeez: he said it, and we’re judging the other candidate on things he has never said. The key divide in this election – if it is between Obama and McCain – is whether you believe that the US should have a permanent military presence, permanent military bases, in Iraq. McCain has clearly flip-flopped in this issue. Clinton would do whatever was in the interests of the next 24 hour news cycle at home to insulate herself from GOP attacks. Obama has kept the same position.
And this gets to the core real choice in this election. Do you believe that the US should be the world’s only super-power, required to have a military presence on every continent, with troops permanently stationed in the middle of the Muslim Arab world? Do you believe in the 21st century version of empire? Or do you believe that after the last few years, America needs to formulate a, er, humbler relationship to the rest of the world?
In other words, do you support the 2000 position of George W. Bush and the 2005 position of John McCain? And no, Mr Hewitt, that does not make anyone "far left."
The Dish 