« Previous | Main | Next »

McCain Accuses Obama of Trying to 'Legislate Failure' in Iraq For Political Gain

Share

August 18, 2008 12:29 PM

ABC News's Bret Hovell reports: Addressing the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars this morning in Orlando, John McCain came down harshly on rival Barack Obama for on his position and opinion on the Iraq war.

So what’s new?

This: McCain takes a new tack in tying Obama's positions on the war to his personal desire to be president.  "Behind all of these claims and positions by Senator Obama lies the ambition to be president."

This is of course not the first time McCain has hit Obama on Iraq, and it is not the harshest attack. The harshest was the line that said roughly: Senator Obama would rather lose a war to win a campaign. This new line seems to get at the same point in a less accusatory fashion.

McCain talked about Iraq having potential as a "peaceful and democratic ally" in the Middle East, which could be "squandered by a hasty withdrawal and arbitrary timelines."

"This is one of many problems in the shifting positions of my opponent, Senator Obama," McCain said. "With less than three months to go before the election, a lot of people are still trying to square Senator Obama's varying positions on the surge in Iraq."

McCain went on to describe Obama’s opposition to the surge, and what he describes as Obama trying to "prevent funding for the troops who carried out the surge."

"Not content to merely predict failure in Iraq, my opponent tried to legislate failure," McCain said. "This was back when supporting America's efforts in Iraq entailed serious political risk. It was a clarifying moment. It was a moment when political self-interest and the national interest parted ways...'

Then the new line: political ambition is behind Obama’s positions, per McCain.

"Behind all of these claims and positions by Senator Obama," McCain said, "lies the ambition to be president. What's less apparent is the judgment to be commander-in-chief."

August 18, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (59)

User Comments

Feed You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

McCain further went on the say that he knows where Bin Lada is. The under lying message is that if the U.S. elects him, he'll tell the world where he is.
Just in from the justice dept, " If he knows where the terrirst is, why harbor him? Why not come clean now?"
So is McCain lying? or is he harboring a known terrorist?

Posted by: DAVID NH | Aug 18, 2008 12:43:10 PM

So, according to McCain, behind all of his claims and positions he has no ambition to be president (as he runs for the 2nd time).

a McGoo line of attack

Posted by: watching | Aug 18, 2008 12:49:49 PM

After his actions with Georgia he has no room to talk. He has become one of this country's leading hypocrites.

Posted by: The Unshrub | Aug 18, 2008 12:51:36 PM

McCain - would rather start a war than lose an election.

Posted by: Paul | Aug 18, 2008 12:54:05 PM

McCain's "honorable" campaign rumbles on! Really classy, Walnuts.

Posted by: SpaceCat | Aug 18, 2008 12:54:10 PM

The war in Iraq is and was always will be a mistake. Perpetuating this mistake is insane. McCain supported the war from its onset and continues to support our staying indefenitely based on some nefarious, undefined, vision for Iraq that will never happen. The war in Iraq will not be lost when we leave. It was lost the moment we invaded based on faulty intelligence to drive out some two-bit dictator to prove we were tough on terrorism even though there was no known ties to the terrorists. McCain was wrong at the beginning of the war and is wrong now.

Posted by: indy_voter | Aug 18, 2008 12:55:35 PM

mccain would rather see american soldiers and iraqi civilian die than end the war in iraq.

Posted by: johnosahon | Aug 18, 2008 1:00:22 PM

McCain says he wants to end Iraq based on the situation on the ground. Is the Iraqi government kicking us out part of that situational assessment?

And them telling us to get out... does that constitute a win or a loss? We never got that explanation from the administration.

Posted by: Paul | Aug 18, 2008 1:05:42 PM

POTUS OBAMA - ITS INEVITABLE

With McCain as competition, this is going to be a LANDSLIDE.

Posted by: Nat Turner | Aug 18, 2008 1:07:14 PM

Some of Huck's Army has gone rouge., theyve started a petition asking Huckabee to leave the GOP, and start a new party. http://www.mccanes.com/newparty.html

Posted by: Peter | Aug 18, 2008 1:07:36 PM

Who is telling the truth?

Warren claimed Senator McCain was in the "cone of silence".

McCain's own campaign has said he was not in the cone of silence.

This sounds just like McCain's Town Hall meetings where it's by invitation only.

Posted by: Dan | Aug 18, 2008 1:13:08 PM

"If I'm president of the United States, my friends, if I have to follow him to the gates of hell, I will get bin Laden and bring him to justice. I will do that. And I know how to do that. I will get that done".

So I get it. McCain knows how to get Bin Laden, he's a powerful U.S. Senator, but he's not sharing the info unless we elect him president? In the meantime, Bin Laden remains free to plan and execute attacks against American interests. Sounds like McCain would rather win a campaign than protect America.

Posted by: hopesprings52 | Aug 18, 2008 1:14:22 PM

McCain was turned into a pompous, arrogant liar. He doesn't even try and speak to issues anymore, he just bashes Obama with distortion and bigoted jokes. He learned well from Rove, apparently.

Posted by: JR | Aug 18, 2008 1:18:23 PM

All I can say is that McCain is scary. The man thinks that we can solve all the world's problems by going to war and then staying perpetually in a war. I ask John McCain "What about our children? Should they have to pay with their future for his blind ambition to be president?" It is McCain, not Obama who is letting his political ambition cloud reality.

Posted by: paula | Aug 18, 2008 1:20:07 PM

McCain scares me. He seemed really confused at times during the forum and answered clearly only when it involved the war. I think he is a war monger and thrives on war... Obama has repeatedly voted to support the troops but not the war. He realizes that if you stop the support abruptly you are putting our troops in arms way.

Posted by: cindyct | Aug 18, 2008 1:22:28 PM

McShame should be called out by Obama on his lies and his willingness to get us into war with everyone. He cheated and lied to his first wife, he will cheat and lie to win an election.

Posted by: bernadette | Aug 18, 2008 1:24:52 PM

Mcain is a obsessed warmonger wake up people and see the DANGER mccain is!

Posted by: angie | Aug 18, 2008 1:25:32 PM

What Sen. McCain ( ex. POW )should
remind Sen.Obama the words of Wiston
Churchhill:
1."there is awar to be won"
2."defeat is one thing,disgrace is
other"
3."evacuation will never win a war"

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

Posted by: vinnie | Aug 18, 2008 1:26:03 PM

It's great to see fellow Americans clear on what a McCain presidency represents. (More war, extended tax breaks for ultra wealthy and mold invested barracks for those who fight his wars)

POTUS OBAMA - ITS INEVITABLE

Posted by: Nat Turner | Aug 18, 2008 1:26:43 PM

Hasen't legislating our defeat in Iraq been THE top priority for all democrats? If what McCain is saying is not true, then why all the votes to defund our troops and set timelines for withdrawal? Everytime somone calls their bluff or exposes them, they shriek and howl in protest. This is why leftists like Obama are not taken seriously in matters of national security.

Posted by: Joaquin B. | Aug 18, 2008 1:27:23 PM

Post a comment