"Americans are very frustrated, and they have every right to be. We've wasted a lot of our most precious treasure, which is American lives." - John McCain

Reasons to agree

No one can disagree that lives lost in Iraq are a waste, unless they knew someone who died.
John Mccain has family fighting in Iraq, he can say whatever he wants.
Mccain fought in Vietnam, he has the right to say whatever he wants.
This is more complicated than just being willing to die to defend freedom. Our presence in Iraq is a disruptive force.
You should not critisize Mccain for using the word waste. You have to judge people by everything they have said in context of other things they have said.
F-you, Mike, and your pointless numbers. My kid is dead. Nothing America can gain is worth his loss.
Iraq's problems are not our problems.
McCain appologized. That shows that he knew that it was wrong to say. "Last evening, I referred to American casualties in Iraq as 'wasted'. I should have used the word 'sacrificed' as I have in the past. No one appreciates and honors more than I do the selfless patriotism of American servicemen and women in the Iraq War." said McCain, a decorated Vietnam war hero. "As I have said many times, I believe we have made many mistakes in the prosecution of the war. With a new commanding general and a new strategy, we are now trying to correct those mistakes, and I believe we have a realistic chance to succeed," he said. His statement added: "That does not change the fact, however, that we have made many mistakes in the past, and we have paid a grievous price for those mistakes in the lives of the men and women who have died to protect our interests in Iraq and defend the rest of us from the even greater threat we would face if we are defeated there."

Reasons to disagree

A president shouldn't use the word wasted when describing the loss of life in an ongoing battle.
When looking at wars, a president can not look at individual lives.
[A president has to be willing to let certain people die in order to prevent more deaths.
Americans are understanding. We know that people have to die to protect freedom. Americans understand that dictatorship anywhere threatens us.
We should never say that the lives of those who die defending freedom are a waste.
618000 people died in the civil war, was that a waste? Perhaps you wouldn't say that their lives were a waste. Perhaps you would use the word sacrifice.
Those whose children died in the civil war, might have thought their lives were wasted, but we are great full to them.
There have been mistakes in this war. However [not presenting a "united front" is the biggest mistake American can make]?
17,000 people ding for the right to drink and drive is a waste of life. 3,000 Americans dying for freedom in Iraq, taking out Saddaum, and continuing a fight against Jihadist is not a waste. No matter how many stratigical mistakes we make.
Mistakes by the commander in chief do not make the lives lost "wasted". More lives would be lost if we were so careful that we were unwilling to make mistakes.
Americans must ask ourselves if there is anything worth dieing for.
Hollywood is the reason that Muslims hate America. They should apologize for the waste of American lives, for causing Muslims to hate us, not president bush for standing up for their freedom.
We do not deserve to be the superpower of the world if we are not willing to "waste" thousands of our children's lives preventing WW3.
Presidents don't have the Luxury of having feelings. Presidents can't be regual humans]. Presidents have to make cold hard calculation. George Bush believed that more American lives would be saved by killing your kids, and taking out Sadaum now, than American lives would be spent taking out Uday Hussein 50 years from now, after oil-for-food has collapsed, when oil is $200 a barrel, and Iraq sits on half of the world's oil reserves.
Bush Gambled, with your sons life. Lets be men, and acknowledge that is the decision that presidents do.
Lincoln Gambled with, and lost 618,000 American lives. And we love him for it.

Books that agree

Books that disagree