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McCain Accuses Obama of Pandering on Iraq

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July 25, 2008 2:33 PM

ABC News' David Wright reports: Addressing a group of Hispanic veterans, including his former roommate from the US Naval Academy, John McCain today accused rival Barack Obama of telling Americans "what they wanted to hear" on Iraq, whereas he "told you the truth."

All week long, McCain has been pushing hard on the notion the current surge strategy in Iraq was a crucial test in judgment.

In 2007, McCain said, "We both knew the safe political choice was to support some sort of retreat."

"Many observers said my approach would end my hopes of becoming President," he said.  "My choice was not smart politics. It didn't test well in focus groups. It ignored all the polls. It also didn't matter."

McCain says history proved him right.

"In Iraq, we are no longer on the doorstep of defeat but instead are on the road to victory," McCain said.

The Obama campaign dismissed McCain's criticism as "angry, false accusations."

"Barack Obama and John McCain may differ over our strategy in Iraq, but they are united in their support for our brave troops and their desire to protect this nation. Senator McCain's constant suggestion otherwise is not worthy of the campaign he claimed he would run or the magnitude of the challenges this nation faces," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton in a statement.

McCain himself resisted the impulse to criticize Obama for the decision to cancel a planned visit to wounded servicemen at Lanstuhl Military Hospital in Germany. 

But McCain's campaign staff is hitting that issue hard, accusing the Obama campaign of changing its story on why the visit was cancelled and challenging any suggestion that the McCain campaign made such a trip any more difficult for Obama to make.

McCain's speech today took place in the city where the Democrats will open their national convention in one month's time.  Polls show Colorado to be one of several key battleground states where the race is tightening.

July 25, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (385)

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The world should fear Pelosi's puppet!


Posted by: Aston | Jul 25, 2008 3:15:21 PM

@tim:

the problem is McCain still believes it was a good decision. McCain said in his 2000 campaign that he would actively try to topple anti-american governments. That didn't work out so well for us yet. It is one of the reasons why terrorist what to topple us, because we are threatening to topple them.

Posted by: X marks the spot | Jul 25, 2008 3:16:52 PM

WE CANNOT STAY IN IRAQ FOREVER!!
give them back their country we should not have attacked them in the first place our president LIED LIED LIED to us 6 years we have been there theres always an excuse why we cant leave we put malaki in let HIM RUN THE COUNTRY WHATS THE EXCUSE TO STAY NOW???????????????????????

Posted by: angie | Jul 25, 2008 3:17:17 PM

just amazing. i will say, obama is BRILLIANT though. good looks, young, charming, great speaker (to the mindless), has the media TOTALLY on his side yet, NO experience, and what experience he has, has the most liberal voting record in the senate, very shady past associations, flip flops on many issues, and did i mention HAS NO EXPERIENCE??!! and yet, this guy stands a good chance at becomming the next president. its just simply amazing. but i will give him credit if he wins, because he knew all along on who to pander to. the mindless. the youth. the minorities. all the bush "haters". but with crazy ideas, and no experience??!! he's either really good, or americans are getting more and more stupid by the day. which one is it??

Posted by: tim | Jul 25, 2008 3:18:09 PM

John F. Kennedy enthusiastically launched America’s military campaign in Indochina and Vietnam.

Does that sound like Obama with Pakistan and Afghanistan. What did these country's ever do to the United States Obama??

Posted by: angie. | Jul 25, 2008 3:18:38 PM

Afghanistan or Pakistan had nothing to do with 9-11 like Obama wants us to believe it was the Taliban who are now being trained in African training camps

Obama is a Chicken Hawk.

Posted by: angie. | Jul 25, 2008 3:20:34 PM

MARY
fox news wouldnt know how to report news if it slapped them and oreily the clown as well as the rest of the fake news gang ARE BIG JOKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: angie | Jul 25, 2008 3:20:39 PM

FOX news is real news. The others like ABC CBS and MSNBC are nothing but PAPARAZZI.

Posted by: angie. | Jul 25, 2008 3:22:18 PM

Jo is that for real, that Edwards love baby or whatever. I am not ready to beleive it yet, but if it is, guess Edwards wont pass the vetting process to be VP for Obama.

Posted by: rachel | Jul 25, 2008 3:22:24 PM

X MARKS THE SPOT...

so we should just give up on the war on terrorism? because they arent going to give up on it?! and seriously, do you think mccain is just going to start invading countries if he wins? cmon now.

Posted by: tim | Jul 25, 2008 3:22:44 PM

you are losers using other peoples names grow up children!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: angie | Jul 25, 2008 3:23:05 PM

John McCain needs to take a deep breath and count to 10. All this week McCain has been whining and complaining about Obama.

Like Sen Chuck Hagel said, the media needs to stop yammering on about the surge and concentrate on the real terrorist threat in Afghanistan.

Posted by: Jennifer | Jul 25, 2008 3:24:20 PM

whats the difference between fox news and lets just say.... cbs? abc? nbc, msnbc? and now cnn? ya know, all the liberal reporting(if you call it reporting) stations? whats the difference between bill oreilly and lets say kieth olberman? chris matthews? you tell me... whats the difference??

Posted by: tim | Jul 25, 2008 3:25:50 PM

A land of gypsies like Afghanistan a threat to United States. Obama nexts to do another line of Crack Cocaine again

Posted by: Jennifer.. | Jul 25, 2008 3:26:00 PM

I respect the fact that Mc Cain served in the military for the USA, but I have no respect for him or his campaign for president. He is a rude and angry man whose campaign is NEGATIVE.

I hope that Americans let him know how wrong his platform or lack thereof really is. Please people vote for Obama and vote in every city and state election for democrats across the board.

Help end the good ole boys network and stranglehold on politics. Time for CHANGE in Washington and I believe Obama will do his very best to bring that CHANGE about and work for ordinary people like myself.

Posted by: Lou | Jul 25, 2008 3:26:28 PM

I see through Obama's bullsh-t and so do millions of other people. He doesn't care about anything except winning, saying whatever people want him to say, and inferring that those against him are racist.

Posted by: obama's phoney | Jul 25, 2008 3:27:12 PM

McSame is a big joke, he has nothing else to say, crying old baby, it will be useful to send him to the Panama canal. God save America from McSame. God bless America and God bless Obama. OBAMA08.

Posted by: BKMC | Jul 25, 2008 3:29:21 PM

JENNIFER...

i wouldnt call it "whining" and "complaining" as much as calling obama out on his lies and flip flops. i'd really like to think that all obama would have to do is keep talking and he would defeat himself, but his supporters are so warped and brainwashed, the guy could commit murder and they would still support him.

Posted by: tim | Jul 25, 2008 3:29:47 PM

tim, I hate to say it but I think it is because Americans are getting more and more stupid, and the MSM is getting ever lazier in doing their job. Can't let anything get in the way of the ratings.

I have looked at Obama and his history and it is my opinion he has does not have the experience to be President. It almost appears that he has spent more time campaigning for public offices that he as actually served. And I do not know how someone with such an extreme liberal record can expect to work with anyone across the aisle. My vote will not be for Obama.

Posted by: Gary | Jul 25, 2008 3:30:00 PM

can someone please ask McCain directly what he thinks about the similarity in tactics of giving money and guns to "freedom fighters" (insurgent radical muslims in Afghanistan) in Afghanistan...

and giving money to "insurgent radical muslims in Iraq"

seems the first time we used that tactic we achieved peace in the short term as well

the only problem the freedom fighters changed their names...

to the Taliban, Osama Bin Laden, and al qaeda.

oh and then they drove planes into our twin towers.

Posted by: dl | Jul 25, 2008 3:30:23 PM

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