Speaking before a group, McCain recently strongly avowed - twice - that he would never surrender in Iraq.  This begs the question: to whom would he never surrender?  To Maliki's government?  To Sadr's militia?  To the handful of insurgents planting IEDs?  If McCain was pressed to answer this, I'd wager he'd say Al Queda, which most knowledgeable observers say is a very tiny presence, but which McCain and Bush believe lurk under every stone.

In truth, McCain has conflated surrender with troop withdrawal.  For him, any servicemen leaving Iraq equals a U.S. defeat.  Couple this with the ill defined metrics for success (we'll stand down when they stand up; success is a fully functional Iraqi government) and McCain truly is preaching an One Hundred Year War. 

Mix in McCain's and Bush's recent criticism of the new GI bill.  For them, 3 years of service, even in a combat zone, is not sufficient sacrifice for a service man or woman to receive a college education.  Massive deficit-causing tax cuts for the wealthiest remain a top priority for the Right; a chance for a better future for the folks actually fighting for this country requires a bit more sacrifice, please.

McCain is the wrong man to head the military at this time.  We need a leader who can correctly access the situation, who can set honorable, clearly defined and achievable metrics for success, who can avoid the sophmoric "patriotic" chest beating; and who has the courage to take decisive action regardless of personal consequence.  That ain't McCain.