McCain, Romney Spar Over Iraq

GOP Candidates Trade Barbs After McCain Accuses Romney Of Wanting To Set Timetable To Withdraw U.S. Troops

(AP)  John McCain accused Mitt Romney of wanting to set a timetable to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, drawing immediate protest from his Republican presidential rival who said: "That's simply wrong and it's dishonest, and he should apologize."

The heated exchange underscored the growing intensity of the GOP race ahead of the state's pivotal primary. A fairly civil debate over economic records and leadership credentials spiraled into an all-out showdown as the two campaigned along the state's southwest coast.

McCain struck on another front Saturday night when he received the endorsement of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. GOP Sen. Mel Martinez threw his support to McCain on Friday.

Polls show McCain and Romney locked in a tight fight for the lead in a state that offers the winner a hefty 57 delegates to the GOP's nominating convention next summer and a shot of energy heading into a virtual national primary on Feb. 5.

In Orlando, Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor trailing in polls and trying to climb his way back into the leaders pack, sought to take the high road. "If you listen to my opponents, it's getting kind of nasty," Giuliani said in Orlando. "I'm going to try to remain positive."

With economic troubles dominating the race, McCain opened the new line of criticism against Romney at his first event of the day in Fort Myers, Fla., and sought to shift the campaign back to his strength, national security, and away from Romney's, the economy.

First, he slapped at Romney without naming him during a question-and-answer session with Floridians, saying: "Now, one of my opponents wanted to set a date for withdrawal that would have meant disaster."

Minutes later to reporters, the Arizona senator was more direct: "If we surrender and wave a white flag, like Senator Clinton wants to do, and withdraw, as Governor Romney wanted to do, then there will be chaos, genocide, and the cost of American blood and treasure would be dramatically higher."

Asked about the comment in Land O' Lakes, Fla., Romney bristled.

"That's dishonest, to say that I have a specific date. That's simply wrong," he said. "That is not the case. I've never said that."

The former Massachusetts governor added: "I know he's trying desperately to change the topic from the economy and trying to get back to Iraq, but to say something that's not accurate is simply wrong - and he knows better."

Later in Sun City, Fla., McCain stuck to his assessment and said: "The apology is owed to the young men and women serving this nation in uniform."

He said he was quoting Romney as favoring a "timetable" for withdrawal and argued that he was not misquoting Romney, saying, "Clearly, the impression was that he was ready to set a date for withdrawal."

But Romney quotes circulated by McCain's campaign didn't show Romney making that exact comment - nor did aides back up McCain's earlier comment that suggested that Romney "wanted to set a date for withdrawal."

In an interview with ABC News in 2007, Romney said: "There's no question that the president and (Iraqi) Prime Minister al-Maliki have to have a series of timetables and milestones that they speak about. But those shouldn't be for public pronouncement. You don't want the enemy to understand how long they have to wait in the weeds until you're going to be gone."

While Romney has never set a public date for withdrawal, he has said that he agrees with Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, that U.S. troops could move to more of an oversight role in 2008.

McCain, for his part, has been a staunch supporter of the Iraq war and advocated more troops on the ground for years before Bush embraced that position last year and ramped up the number of U.S. forces in Iraq. The buildup helped curb violence in Iraq, and McCain has not been shy about claiming credit for the strategy's success.

Romney aides labeled McCain's charge "stunningly false," while McCain aides portrayed his Iraq comments as part of a broader effort in the coming days to question Romney's leadership, foreign policy experience and judgment.

A former venture capitalist and business consultant, Romney has spent the past week arguing that he is the Republican best able to right a troubled economy, given his 25-year record in the private sector. He's argued that McCain, who has spent much of his life in the military and in Congress, doesn't have the qualifications necessary to lead the country out of a potential recession.

McCain, in turn, has sought to beat back Romney on the issue by arguing that a president needs to be ready to lead and qualified on both national security and economics, and he offers both - despite having previously acknowledged that the economy is not his strongest suit.

He also sought to rebut Romney's criticisms in an unusual fashion: he dispatched high-profile surrogates to talk with the press corps traveling with the former governor. Among them: former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge and former Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift. She boarded the Romney press bus to repeat similar criticisms to reporters.

[pakaal]

The funniest part is the American people have dismissed this argument already, and have shown what they care about is a well-planned withdrawal from Iraq. (As too have the Iraqi people, not that anyone seems to care what they think.)

So yeah, you two go ahead and talk amongst yourselves about which one of you wants the US stay in Iraq longer, and we''ll just go ahead and solve the problem for y''all by electing a Democrat for president.

[my_friends]

My Friends

None of these candidates have all knowledge to fix these problems themselves. It%u2019s absurd to think that these candidates know all the answers. Romney doesn%u2019t know all the answers on the economy. Mr. %u201CStraight talk%u201D doesn%u2019t know how to win the war on terror, and Duckabee doesn%u2019t know when god is coming.

One of the most important characteristics for a successful president is to be a Problem solver and a critical thinker, one who can think outside the box. He needs to gather the good ideas from his opponents and find the weaknesses of his ideas, and while using the help from the brightest and smartest people on these topics they can formulate plans that will fix our problems.

By far the best candidate for the job is Mitt Romney. He knows how to fix the problems that others thought were impossible. He has the track record of working with people to solve tough problems. One more thing, who do you trust to tackle these challenges head on. The one that graduated fifth from the bottom, or the one that graduated as valedictorian.

[wardoglrs]

America is dead. your nation is no more. It''s been sold to china and other nations your doller is worth nothing the housing bubble is nothing to the writedown''s that follow this through insurance plane''s
your losing small local banks nation wide. Next will be your credit record which is not healthy, Your rights have been voted away from by your own rep''s. Bush has power that was never before used. Get ready for Martial law. Maybe just Maybe America will wake up

[enoughya]

McCain showed in the last debate that he can lie to the entire nation without any qualms, saying that he did not know where Tim Russert was getting a quote attributed to McCain, and McCain knew full well he had said those words. And he expects us to trust him as president? We do not need another Bush in the White House.

This is just the latest in a long series of moral lapses and ethical deficiencies coming from McCain. Remember the Keating-5, in which McCain took a bribe to help cover up the defrauding of the american public via the savings and loan scandal. McCain has clearly proven he cannot be trusted with power, with the blatant abuse of power in the Keating-5 alone. He should not be allowed anywhere near the White House--we cannot afford a Bush II administration. Plus, McCain is an adulterer, a clear lack of moral judgment in this also.

Romney has shown to have much more personal integrity, and is much more morally sound than McCain. Hillary is in the same establishment mode as McCain. Romney is by far the best candidate running for president.

[mctooold]

Now that McCain has got everyone focusing on Iraq, which validates him, let us not forget his idea on the "PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP" A.K.A. Amnesty to all illegals!

Viva Juan McCain!!!

[mctooold]

Zoe20006,
I''m a Mormon (Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints) and there a many black members and have been for many years.

[mctooold]

McNutt is a big McJerk! Initially, all he did was cry that Romney was picking on him. Now, he does the exact thing he accused Romney of. So much for "clean campaigns"!

For me, his personal life tells me all I need to know as I firmly believe that actions speak louder than his boring words, "my friends"! He is an adulter and everytime I see him standing there with the woman that he cheated with, I''m sickened! Look him up on Wikipedia if you want to see the real measure of a man.

[starleo146]

McBush

Posted by j-whitman at 12:45 PM : Jan 27, 2008
+

Exactly a Bush Clone

[starleo146]

McCain --- Shut Up, He''''s complaining about the stste of or VA Hospitals ---- LOL, he''''s been part of the problem ever since he got itno politics,,,,,,,

--- Another Do Nothing Flag Waiving Republican ---

Posted by j-whitman at 01:17 PM : Jan 27, 2008

Once again I cannot watch Meet the Press or face the Nation without seeing John Mc Cain and there campaign fund raisers Bob Sheifer and Tim Russet. All Mc Cain talks about is the war does he know, with his side kick, Lieberman standing beside him, that we are having an Economy crisis. He can''t solve the economy and I think that is why he can only talk WAR. The republicans are null and void

[j-whitman]

tonysp2,,,,, This country needs another republican like we need a gay Charles Manson as a President.

[tonysp2]

Here is how the major media are cheating this Presidential election. Many of the Internet news sites have covered Mitt Romney%u2019s close ties to Blackwater. His top security advisor, Cofer Black, comes from Blackwater, and Blackwater is even financing his campaign. To have a private mercenary police force financing a political campaign is an extremely dangerous, threatening development for American democracy. Yet not a whisper of Mitt Romney%u2019s close ties to Blackwater has been reported by the major media. I think that there are many Republicans who would not want to live in a police state, yet this could be a likely occurrence in a Mitt Romney Presidency. If the major media do not report this story soon, the American public will be cheated out of a fair election.

[tonysp2]

Here is how the major media are cheating this Presidential election. Many of the Internet news sites have covered Mitt Romney%u2019s close ties to Blackwater. His top security advisor, Cofer Black, comes from Blackwater, and Blackwater is even financing his campaign. To have a private mercenary police force financing a political campaign is an extremely dangerous, threatening development for American democracy. Yet not a whisper of Mitt Romney%u2019s close ties to Blackwater has been reported by the major media. I think that there are many Republicans who would not want to live in a police state, yet this could be a likely occurrence in a Mitt Romney Presidency. If the major media do not report this story soon, the American public will be cheated out of a fair election.

[merlgrey]

These phonies want war here at home too.

Since Richard Nixon declared his "War on Drugs" in 1970, the so-called "law and order" approach has prevailed among Republican politicians. In keeping with that monstrous disillusionment:

John McCain when asked if he saw any similarity between Alcohol Prohibition and the War on Drugs, he replied that there was no similarity at all.

Mitt Romney has stated we need to "reinstitute a campaign as powerful as ''Just Say No'' was."
___________

William F. Buckley, Jr., longtime editor of The National Review and the individual regarded by many as the father of modern conservatism. "Even if one takes every reefer madness allegation of the prohibitionists at face value," he wrote, "marijuana prohibition has done far more harm to far more people than marijuana ever could."

Republican economist Milton Friedman, a Nobel laureate, spoke consistently against Drug Prohibition until his death in 2006. Friedman wrote "As a nation, we have been destroying foreign countries because we cannot enforce our own laws. As a nation, we have been responsible for the murder of literally hundreds of thousands of people at home and abroad by fighting a war that should never have been started and can be won, if at all, only by converting the United States into a police state."

Ron Paul is a very notable Republican politician who says things like "I''ve always been very clear that the Drug War is a lot worse than the drugs themselves."

[j-whitman]

McCain --- Needs to Shut Up,,,, He''s complaining about the stste of or VA Hospitals ---- LOL, he''s been part of the problem ever since he got itno politics,,,,,,,

He wanted more troops but never fought to get them, he''s no different that the Generals who spoke out too late & didn''''t fight whe they where needed.

He''s attempting to tell us how he know''s how to catch OBL, yet supported all of Bush''s policies that counldn''t catch him.

He''s tried also to tell us he know''s how to secure the border, being from a border state of Arizona --- Mexico''s Army is conducting maneuvers in Arizona,,,, Locked & Loaded against our Border Patrol

--- Another Do Nothing Flag Waiving Republican ---

[j-whitman]

McCain --- Shut Up, He''s complaining about the stste of or VA Hospitals ---- LOL, he''s been part of the problem ever since he got itno politics,,,,,,,

--- Another Do Nothing Flag Waiving Republican ---

[j-whitman]

Obama will do great, look at his opposition ----

Romney, Huckajesus, McBush & Rudy the financeer of 9/11

[obama1289]

Obama supporters watch the video, talk about tears coming to your eyes:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=jPev5sEdTjg

[j-whitman]

McCain, Romney & Rudy the financieer of 911 ---- What a Trio ----

--- Here we are trying to teach America''s cildren the importantce of TRUTH & these people show the exact opposite -----

---- Lies, Liars, and the dishonor that surrounds them - This country doesn''t need it & neither do our children.

[obama1289]

its always funny when romney calls someone else being dishonest

[j-whitman]

McBush