Biden Links Bush And McCain On Iraq
"John McCain remains wedded to the Bush Administration's myopic view of a world defined by terrorism," Biden is quoted as saying in prepared remarks. "He would continue to allow a tiny minority to set the agenda for the overwhelming majority."
Biden added: "When it comes to Iraq, there is no daylight between John McCain and George W. Bush. They are joined at the hip. When it comes to Iraq, there will be no change with a McCain administration."
"We should debate the consequences of drawing down in Iraq,'' he said. "But more importantly, we should talk about what both President Bush and Senator McCain refuse to acknowledge: the increasingly intolerable costs of staying."
Biden, who argues that this is the most important election in his lifetime, also knocks Bush and McCain for what he characterizes as their inability to say when and if the United States will see success in Iraq.
"They can't tell us when, or even if, this war will end," Biden said. "Most Americans want this war to end. They want us to come together around a plan to leave Iraq without leaving chaos behind. They're not defeatists. They're patriots who understand the national interest – and the great things Americans can achieve if we responsibly end a war that we should not have started."
UPDATE: The Republican National Committee's Danny Diaz responds:
"Before Joe Biden attacks Senator McCain on Iraq, he should offer an explanation to the American people how he can stand by Senators Obama and Clinton after criticizing them for putting our troops at risk by voting against troop funding. Considering his withering criticism of Obama and Clinton, even stating 'the presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training,' Biden's political rhetoric has little credibility."