boots on the ground

President Obama promised that there would be no American boots on the ground in Libya, which just goes to show that once again he's guilty of misunderestimating John McCain.   The seventy-four year old senator parachuted into Benghazi under cover of darkness, carrying only a canteen of water and his favorite handgun, with the self-assigned mission of meeting him some rebels and "to get an on-the-ground assessment of the situation." Because who wants to listen to detailed assessments of battlefield status from a bunch of stuffy old Pentagon generals when you're John McCain, Man of Action?   "This was one of the most exciting and inspiring days of my life," McCain said. "Of course any day that's all about John McCain is a pretty exciting day. Someone needs to make American military policy, and I'm not willing to cede that privilege to anyone who doesn't understand the situation like I do. Forget what Admiral Mullen says, I'm urging President Obama to commit our troops to a surge because, well, I just like surges."   In spite of the fact that his boots were on the ground for only a few hours, McCain's laser like focus allowed him to determine the precise ideological makeup of the rebels he met.   "I have met these brave fighters and they are not Al Qaeda," he proclaimed. "They are Libyan patriots who want to liberate their nation, and a lot of energetic young people who are out there having the time of their life."   "They are my heroes," McCain said of the rebels as he prepared to leave the battle-torn country, escorted by what presumably was a second pair of boots on the ground. "The American servicemen used to be my heroes, but they haven't done all that well in the whole war-winning department the last few years."