Debate fact-check 2: The Surge

Juan Cole 09/27/2008

In the debate, McCain promised ‘victory’ in Iraq and praised the surge.

First of all, it isn’t ‘victory’ if Baghdad’s best hospital doesn’t even have working elevators any more.

Second of all, the violence fell in Baghdad because the Sunnis were massacred or chased to Syria, leaving few mixed neighborhoods, not because of ‘take, clear, hold’ (which is in fact a tactic, not a strategy). Satellite pictures show Sunni Baghdad dark now.

About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment and Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan. He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires. Follow him at @jricole.