Katie Couric recently interviewed both Obama and McCain. While talking with McCain, they had this wonderful exchange:
Couric: Senator McCain, Sen. Obama says, while the increased number of U.S. troops contributed to increased security in Iraq, he also credits the Sunni awakening and the Shiite government going after militias. And says that there might have been improved security even without the surge. What's your response to that?
McCain: I don't know how you respond to something that is such a false depiction of what actually happened. Colonel McFarlane (phonetic) was contacted by one of the major Sunni sheiks. Because of the surge we were able to go out and protect that sheik and others. And it began the Anbar awakening. I mean, that's just a matter of history.
As our friends at the United States Department of Defense can tell us, then-Colonel McFarlane briefed the media on the Anbar awakening on September 19th, 2006. That's months before the surge took place.
This isn't a matter of misstating a small detail. No; this demonstrates a fundamental lack of knowledge about just what exactly is going on in Iraq. It confounds me McCain, who consistently displays an incomplete knowledge of the geopolitical arena surrounding him, has the audacity to accuse Barack Obama of being inexperienced in foreign policy.
Update: The Huffington Post picked up the story as well; they've got a bit of additional information.