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Jake Tapper is ABC News' Senior White House Correspondent based in the network's Washington bureau. He writes about politics and popular culture and covers a range of national stories.
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McCain Iraqs and Rolls
March 16, 2008 1:22 PM
"We were informed that John McCain landed in Iraq Sunday morning," Ali al-Moussawi, an official in the office of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, told the AP. "A meeting will take place with the Iraqi government."
Sen. John McCain and the McCainettes (Sens. Lindsey Graham & Joe Lieberman) landed in Baghdad and are set to meet with deputy PM Barham Saleh, Gen. David Petraeus, and perhaps al-Maliki as well.
McCain's trip abroad will also include visits in the UK with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Stavros Dimas, the European Union's commissioner for the environment; in Paris with President Nicolas Sarkozy; in Jerusalem with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Likud leader Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu; and in Amman, with Jordanian King Abdullah.
McCain says his trip is as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, not as the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. But on Thursday, McCain will hold a fundraiser at Spencer House in London for Americans living abroad -- $1,000-$2,300 per person. McCain joins a growing list of U.S. candidates shaking money trees abroad -- Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have sent their spouses to the British Isles on such tasks, and Rudy Giuliani hopped across the pond for a similar fundraiser. (More on that HERE.)
Presumably, Sen. McCain will not repeat today the mistake from his 2007 trip when he went to a Baghdad market accompanied by a company's worth of soldiers in armored Humvees and declared his shopping excursion to have been "safe." McCain later said he misspoke.
On Friday at a town hall meeting outside Philly, McCain was asked if he thought insurgents in Iraq might flare up violence in the Fall to try to tip the scales of the election in favor of the Democratic candidate.
"Yes, I worry about it," McCain said. "And I know they pay attention because of the intercepts we have of their communications."
- jpt
March 16, 2008 in 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (13)
McCain's trip was unannounced.
Why? Is it not safe.
Ahamdinajad didn't have any problem announcing his trip.
Seemed to me like he was greeted as some type of hero or liberator.
Bush and the GOP have to be jealous.
The guy walked down the street with no security and was cheered everywhere he went.
At least someone is greeted in Iraq with flowers instead of bombs.
Hey that's progress right.
I heard Iraq is a hot vacation spot with great markets since we won the war.
Unfortunately McCain could not visit the market again because it's being controlled by the Mahdi Army.
But that's progress Iraqis securing there own neighborhoods.
When are you GOOPERS going to visit.
Posted by: Langx | Mar 17, 2008 2:56:46 AM
Vote for McCain and I hope your teaching your kids Arabic.
There going to need it to fight the future wars in the middle east.
McCain can add Arabic to the No Child left Behind curriculum.
Since No Child will be Left Behind when the draft starts.
Posted by: Langx | Mar 17, 2008 2:45:55 AM
John McCain not only loves America, as I am sure all of the presidential candidates do, but he understands and takes seriously the role that fighting terrorists in Iraq holds at this point in fighting the global war on terror.
Patrick J M, Oh
Posted by: Patrick McGervey | Mar 17, 2008 12:58:49 AM
McCain a great President, are you serious? Who wants a third Bush term?? No thanks, not me. Vote Obama 2008.
Posted by: sandy | Mar 17, 2008 12:41:37 AM
It's 3 Am and the whole world just went crazzzy, who are you going to call; THE FARRR-AK-HAMMM WRIGHTT BROTHERS and President B HUSSIAN obama, half what? and half YELLOW!!
GOD BLESS AND SAVE AMERICA
by WOTHAH
Posted by: wothah | Mar 16, 2008 11:04:53 PM
mccain is as blind and ignorant as bush and when we the democrats kick almost all of the gop out of washington then we can repair all the damage the gop have done. if god is still with this nation he will make sure the democrats win big time in the fall.
Posted by: tom | Mar 16, 2008 10:49:14 PM
McCain is a great American hero, and would make a great President. Unlike those Wessel Democrats who don’t have spine in there back. Oh I’m sorry, “the cut and run Democrats.” Let us take a page out of history, for a monument and let us imagine what would the left wing liberals do back in the day when the US was fighting the Nazi Germany (Extermination Camps) and imperial Japan (Baton death march), would they talk the same talk and walk the same walk in not defending our troops fighting overseas with the Axis powers!
Posted by: Bob | Mar 16, 2008 10:45:31 PM
God bless John McCain and the GOP! :-) McCain will be a great POTUS.
Posted by: Earl | Mar 16, 2008 8:59:57 PM
God bless John McCain and the GOP! :-)
Posted by: Earl | Mar 16, 2008 8:59:24 PM
I guess 50 Million and growing Americans without healthcare is worth the 2 trillion dollars and 4000 lives spent so far in Iraq.....
Posted by: Hill08 | Mar 16, 2008 8:57:26 PM
Only a blind GOPer like McCain would think that we are "winning" in Iraq. What exactly does winning look like? I guess I'm as confused as the other 70%+ of Americans that think the war was a mistake. Mmmmm I guess we're all stupid and the few supporters of this crazy Iraq war are right. I guess the pentagon's recent report was wrong too. I guess 2+ trillion dollars and a horrible economy as a result from Iraq was worth it too....
Posted by: Hill08 | Mar 16, 2008 8:55:01 PM
SMARTPRIMATE SAID:
Goodness gracious! Rolling Stones political section... what next? Spin Magazine has an expose on McCain and lobbyists.
____________
Hey smartprimate, did you read the article? What was your reaction. I would be interested in your reaction after reading the facts.
Posted by: miles1967 | Mar 16, 2008 7:30:38 PM
yeah, o.k. Mac. Whatever. How about asking Petraeus about how the surge isn't working?
Also, how about using your downtime to read up on the mess Bush made of the economy. I'll give you a google term to start with: Bear Stearns
Posted by: Tungsten | Mar 16, 2008 1:39:33 PM
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