Discussing McCain's Hitler comment, CNN's Brown baselessly asserted McCain was "making his case for a strong military"

During postdebate analysis of the November 28 CNN/YouTube Republican presidential debate, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper aired an exchange between presidential candidates Sen. John McCain (AZ) and Rep. Ron Paul (TX), in which McCain referred to Paul's assertion that U.S. troops should be redeployed from Iraq and stated, "[W]e allowed Hitler to come to power with that kind of attitude of isolationism and appeasement." McCain went on to say that he visited with U.S. troops in Iraq on Thanksgiving and that "the message of these brave men and women who are serving over there is, 'Let us win.' " Asked by Cooper for her thoughts on McCain's statement, in which the senator equated opposition to the Iraq war and support for bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq with the attitude that allowed Adolf Hitler to come to power, correspondent Campbell Brown asserted that McCain was "making his case for a strong military and an interventionist foreign policy." Brown, however, did not explain why she concluded from McCain's comparison of Paul's position on Iraq to the conditions leading to Hitler's ascension that McCain was "making his case for a strong military.''

Indeed, McCain made no comments about the need for a "strong military" during the debate:

McCAIN: If Congress can't fix the tax code, give me the job and I'll fix it.

I just want to also say that Congressman Paul, I've heard him now in many debates talk about bringing our troops home, and about the war in Iraq and how it's failed.

[applause]

And I want to tell you that that kind of isolationism, sir, is what caused World War II. We allowed --

[applause]

We allowed --

[audience booing]

COOPER: Allow him his answer. Allow him his answer, please.

McCAIN: We allowed Hitler to come to power with that kind of attitude of isolationism and appeasement.

[audience booing]

McCAIN: And I want to tell you something, sir. I just -- I just finished having Thanksgiving with the troops, and their message to you is -- the message of these brave men and women who are serving over there is, "Let us win. Let us" --

[applause]

COOPER: We will -- please. We will get to Iraq --

From the November 28 edition of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360:

COOPER: Campbell, John McCain took on Ron Paul about the war in Iraq and his desire to bring home the troops now.

Let's listen to that.

[begin video clip]

McCAIN: We allowed Hitler to come to power with that kind of attitude of isolationism and appeasement.

[audience booing]

McCAIN: And I want to tell you something, sir. I just -- I just finished having Thanksgiving with the troops, and their message to you is -- the message of these brave men and women who are serving over there is, "Let us win. Let us" --

[applause]

[crosstalk]

PAUL: What John is saying is just totally distorted. He doesn't even understand the difference between non-intervention and isolationism.

I am not an isolationism -- an isolationist. I want to trade with people, talk with people, travel. But I don't want to send --

COOPER: Time is up, and we're going to talk about this later.

PAUL: -- our troops overseas using force to tell them how to live. We would object to it here and they're going to object to us over there.

[end video clip]

COOPER: Campbell Brown, your thoughts on this exchange?

BROWN: Well, I think, Anderson, that McCain used that exchange very effectively.

I mean, Ron Paul is essentially where Democrats are on the war. And McCain used him, in a way, as a foil on this to show how he would go after Democrats if he gets the nomination. And I think he did it pretty effectively, making his case for a strong military and an interventionist foreign policy.

I think I'm going to play contrarian a little bit with the other two panelists, since we are a panel, on some of the other issues. I did think the opening exchange, you know, immigration seems to be the dominant issue, not only among Republicans, but, frankly, Democrats now.

—K.H.