Petraeus Report Could Boost McCain

John McCain's Backers Say Petraeus Report on Iraq Gives Presidential Hopeful New Life

(AP)  Gen. David Petraeus' high-profile report on Iraq is pumping new life into Sen. John McCain's presidential bid, his backers say, making the Arizona Republican appear prescient and courageous on the campaign's most vital issue.

Whether the new dynamic in Iraq can salvage McCain's troubled campaign is far from certain. But he is wooing voters with a sense of momentum not seen since he drastically reduced his staff and spending two months ago.

Senators say McCain, more than any other presidential hopeful, benefited from Petraeus' claim that the seven-month-old troop escalation in Iraq was mostly a success and has helped stabilize key parts of the country.

From the war's start, McCain argued for more troops and was Congress' most prominent defender of the increase that President Bush announced in January.

This week, McCain launched a "No Surrender" tour of Iowa with a clear "I-told-you-so message." His allies hope it will give him a new edge over GOP rivals, including Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney.

"The difference between them and John is that John said it before anybody else, took the heat for saying it, and without him, there would have been no surge," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in an interview Wednesday.

"Now John is center-stage next week beating back political efforts to undercut the surge," said Graham, a longtime McCain supporter. "He will be standing with generals in the field against would-be political generals."

McCain's staunch support of the war could hurt him with independent voters in a general election. But for now, he is focused on die-hard Republicans, especially in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

In those circles, support for Bush and the war still runs fairly high, and McCain's prominent role in this week's congressional testimony by Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker could not be matched by his main rivals.

Democratic voters overwhelmingly say the Iraq war a mistake, but 69 percent of Republicans support it, according to a recent AP-Ipsos poll. Similar divisions were found when respondents were asked about the success of the troop increase and the likelihood that history will judge the war a success.

As the debate intensifies on Capitol Hill, McCain's supporters hope he will benefit from less focus on illegal immigration, where his support of legalization strategies deeply hurt him among many conservatives.

The Petraeus-Crocker testimony, plus Bush's planned national address Thursday night, are intensifying the spotlight on an issue that - in GOP circles, at least - is much better for McCain, they say.

"He's always going to have an uphill fight with the party's most conservative voters," said Dan Schnur, a campaign aide to McCain in 2000 who now teaches at the University of Southern California and University of California at Berkeley. "But for those Republicans who have become uneasy with the progress in Iraq, this is an opportunity to bring those voters back."

McCain lost little time this week trying.

He opened his questioning of Petraeus on Tuesday by saying, "Some of us from the beginning warned against the (Donald) Rumsfeld strategy of too few troops, insufficient resources and a plan predicated on hope rather than on the difficult business of stabilization and counterinsurgency."

Now, he continued, "We're getting it right because we finally have in place a strategy that can succeed."

Within hours McCain was telling voters in Iowa that he had condemned "a failed policy in Iraq" from the outset.

"I was criticized by Republicans and others for doing so," he said. Still, "I saw it was doomed to failure, and I argued for the strategy that is now succeeding."

McCain still lags in national polls of GOP voters, even if front-runner Giuliani, the former New York mayor, has seen his lead shrink in recent weeks. Others are watching warily to see if the Petraeus-Crocker reports will revive a once-promising campaign that nearly self-destructed in July.

Asked whether the Petraeus report strengthens McCain's hand, Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, told The Associated Press: "I don't know. It strengthens America's future and frankly that's all I care about."

Graham, McCain's chief advocate in South Carolina, sees a new day.

"I think John is well-positioned to emerge on the Republican bill as the guy who is the best prepared and most electable, reliable conservative," he said.

[speakinup]

killtheliars - I believe you said Bush has no supporters other than His wife and children. Wrong. Since you stated that presenting it as a fact, why don''t you follow the advice of your pen name, put the barrel to your temple, and blow your brains out.

[red1530]

John McCain''s view of the war is going to achieve victory in Iraq over the terrorists.

[liberalme]

So much for 5700 troop decrease by the end of this year. My grandson is being redeployed in October--looks like we''ll be just replacing those that are leaving!

[liberalme]

It doesn''t matter what McCain thinks, he''s not going anywhere.

[ixoye_02]

"No Surrender" is another way to say "Stay the course" in my opinion. And yes I agree with the statement that "McCain''s staunch support of the war could hurt him with independent voters in a general election" As a former republican and current independent, I don''t see how McCain can win in the general election when McCain is perceived as "Bush-lite" with regards to the Iraq war. McCain''s maverick and independent-thinking status is lost in the war debate. And I''m disappointed that McCain is just another party hack who is towing the republican party line to his own detriment. Too bad for McCain''s presdential aspirations.....McCain already has a tough sell to his own party for the nomination...it''s more of a long shot to get the independents to trust McCain enough to vote for him. "Straight Talk" express should be renamed "More of the same Bush ***"

[lars008-2009]

it is fascist nazi terrorislam stupid%u2026.

non muslims of the world unite... fight against the tyranny of the fascist nazi terrorslam imperialist empire of the darkside...

I was a fanatic...I know their thinking, says former radical Islamist
By blaming the Government for our actions, those who pushed this "Blair''s bombs" line did our propaganda work for us.
More important, they also helped to draw away any critical examination from the real engine of our violence: Islamic theology.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=465570&in_page_id=1770

Bless the Beasts and Children
Fascist nazi terrorslam kills every man woman and child in the village again%u2026 typical mo for terrorslam%u2026
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/bless-the-beasts-and-children.htm

Our Prophet commanded us to fight the kaafirs when we are able and to attack them in their homelands and to give them three choices before we enter their lands: either they become Muslim and be like us, sharing our rights and duties; or they pay the jizyah (poll tax) and feel themselves subdued; or they fight, in which case their wealth, women, children and homes become permissible as booty for the Muslims.
http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=13759&ln=eng&txt=before%20islam%20arabia%20pagan

the truth about fascist nazi terrorislam...
http://www.terrorismawareness.org/what-really-happened/

[killtheliars]

Even senior military personel cannot stand Petraeus.

From the Asia Times:

WASHINGTON - In sharp contrast to the lionization of General David Petraeus by members of the US Congress during his testimony this week, Petraeus''s superior, Admiral William Fallon, chief of the Central Command (Centcom), derided Petraeus as a sycophant during their first meeting in Baghdad in March, according to Pentagon sources familiar with reports of the meeting.

Fallon told Petraeus that he considered him to be "an @ss-kissing little chicken$hit"

[tcoleman12]

I am a fan of McCain for this issue alone. But there are too many "kill" issues that he has for me.

I think the media knows that he is seen this way by many in the GOP and that is why they continue to try and pump his numbers back up for him.

[advanceus]

Senator McClain is patting himself on the back pretty hard. It is hard to believe he is responsible for the "surge" in Iraq since he probably forgot he was there one hour after touching US soil.

[rushlimpdrug]

Next in the McCain "No Surrender" tour, a march with 10 million illegal immigrants from California to New York?