McCain: "We Are Now Succeeding In Iraq"

Presidential Candidate Meets British Leaders In London, Touts Success Of Surge Strategy

(CBS/AP)  Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Thursday hailed the bravery of British and U.S. soldiers yet refrained from calling publicly for Britain to slow the pace of its troop withdrawal from southern Iraq.

McCain discussed Iraq with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in their first-ever meeting - a 45-minute discussion in London that also touched on the economy and climate change, McCain said.

McCain's political fortunes are linked to the war he strongly backs and the four-term Arizona senator said Iraq would likely be the defining issue of the election. McCain has clinched enough delegate support to win the Republican Party's nomination.

"We are now succeeding in Iraq," the Arizona Senator told a gathering of journalists outside Gordon Brown's official residence at No. 10 Downing Street.

But, CBS News correspondent Sheila MacVicar reports, McCain had to dance around questions about the U.K.'s rapidly diminishing military contribution to the war. Britain has about 4,000 troops based at an airport camp outside Iraq's southern city of Basra, but hopes to cut the number to 2,500 within months.

"I believe that decision is made by the British government and people. We appreciate, enormously the long service and sacrifice of the British men and women in the military," McCain said diplomatically.

McCain said this week, however, that pulling out of Iraq quickly would be a mistake that would boost Iran and al Qaeda. On Thursday, he said Americans were increasingly backing the U.S. troop increase strategy and believed the tactic was bringing success.

When pressed, McCain said he had "issued those warnings concerning the United States of America."

"That will be, frankly, a very big issue for the country, whether we withdraw and have al Qaeda win and announce to the world they have won and have things collapse there, or whether we see this strategy through to success," McCain said.

Brown has stressed that British troops would be withdrawn only on the advice of defense chiefs. Some officials suggest fragile security in Basra may force the U.K. to delay any pullout.

"We appreciate enormously the long service and sacrifice of the British men and women in the military both in Iraq and Afghanistan," McCain told reporters outside Brown's official residence in London.

More than one reporter asked him to answer criticism coming from his rivals that, if elected, he would continue President Bush's strategy in Iraq. "Americans, in significant numbers, agree that the present strategy of the surge is succeeding," McCain responded.

"Having just come from Iraq I can tell you, unequivocally, that the situation has improved dramatically over the last year. People are going about their normal lives. But the fact is al Qaeda is on the run, they are not defeated. They are not defeated, and we're going to have to continue training the Iraqi military and doing what we've been doing if we're going to achieve a stable situation in Iraq."

McCain's visit to Britain was part of a weeklong tour of Middle East and Europe. He was traveling as part of a U.S. congressional delegation - including Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. - that already has visited Iraq, Jordan and Israel.

The McCain campaign has defended the trip - at taxpayers' expense - as critical for members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. However, McCain was using some of his time overseas to collect money for his White House bid. He had a $1,000 per person fundraising lunch at London's Spencer House.

"Having just come from Iraq, I can tell you unequivocally that the situation has improved dramatically over the last year," McCain said. "Al Qaeda is on the run. They are not defeated."

But he acknowledged some mistakes had been made in postwar planning. "The problem with Iraq, in my view, is because it was mishandled after the initial success, that caused great frustration, sacrifice and sorrow on the part of the American people and our allies," he said.

McCain also met Thursday with Britain's opposition Conservative party leader David Cameron at the Houses of Parliament, where a host of Conservative lawmakers lined a courtyard beneath the Big Ben clock tower to greet McCain as he arrived.

"Our conversation centered on Afghanistan," Cameron said. "The senator and I also spent time discussing our shared interests and how we can broaden the appeal of moderate Conservatism."

McCain also planned a meeting with Europe's environment commissioner, Stavros Dimas, to discuss U.S. climate change policy, European Commission spokeswoman Emilia Hinkkanen said.

Dimas is attempting to win support from the three major presidential candidates for a plan to establish carbon trading in the U.S. to help cut carbon emissions.

"I am convinced that if we work at it, we will be able to convince India and China that it is in their interest to be part of a global agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," McCain said after meeting Brown. "I believe that we can achieve a global agreement."

He planned a trip to Paris on Friday to meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whom he called a leader with "pro-American tendencies."

[forthepeopl1]

BEFORE VOTING FOR THIS MAN know just who and what you are voting for... It is now time for Senator John McCain and his implementation of the John Boyden, Esq. plan to "disappear" the Navajo of Arizona, so as to profit from the sale of Coal under their land, to be brought to Justice for criminal violation of the United States own Human Rights Laws, in a pattern of behavior that mirrors that of NAZI GERMANY and it''''s Genocide of the Jews of Europe.. Along with him, officials of the Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs who arranged to embezzle the licensing money paid in by Peabody Western Coal, supposedly for use to help the Navajo, but embezzled anyway, along with officials of the Bureau of Land Management and Mines, who manipulate the wildlife rights of American Indians every year, so as to reduce their number, concentration and ability to prosper by living off the land. In the most BRAZEN coordinated effort of Genocide in History, corrupt public officials are literally murdering the Navajo of Arizona and converting their lives and their lands into instant personal gain, by selling them off under the table to mining industry and the Power Industry. In Arizona, John McCain claims there is a "Range War" going on in the Black Mesa. please go to this site and find out what mcshame is www.Acsa.net/cain2004.org

[greybeardvet]

Let''s see, we taxpayers get to pay for his travels so he can campaign overseas and have $1,000/plate fundraisers? Sounds like a deal to me.

And how great is it to have Mr. Straight-shooter reassure us "unequivocally" that we are winning? And don''t forget how Al Qaeda is on the run in Iran.

As a senior citizen, I truly appreciate that many of the silly things we oldsters say are not held to the same standard of scrutiny that applies to our younger colleagues. Still, shouldn''t there be consequences when a presidential candidate can''t remember which county our enemy is from? And what happens if he''s talking privately with a head of state and Joe Lieberman isn''t there to correct his goofs?

[greatdrivew]

What happened to John McCain?

When did the Straight Talker become the Dark Prince of Middle East meddling?

If he really cared so much about the GIs, he''d bring them home instead of having them search for bombs at roadside checkpoints in Iraq.

My God, McCain could have retired with dignity. What is he thinking?

[andrew_693]

maCChicken is like dorothy from the wizard of oz, when she " taps her shoes and says there is no place like home, there is no place like home" MacChicken says "we are not going to loose again, we are not going to loose again".

[peaceword]

I am the Uncle of PFC Kristian Menchaca, tortured to death with PFC Thomas Tucker, Yosifiya, Iraq, 2006, and am litigating U.S. Court Case H 08-60 to raise $25 Million dollars Reward money to save lives of each of three terrorist-captured U.S. Soldiers currently "Missing In Action" ("MIA"), Sgt Keith Maupin (%u201CMIA%u201D), Batavia, Ohio; Pvt. Byron W. Fouty (%u201CMIA%u201D), Waterford, Michigan; Spc. Alex R. Jimenez (%u201CMIA%u201D), Lawrence, Massachusetts, Reward money to be donated by public to state governor Reward Funds or Care of Judge Gray Miller, U.S. Court Case H 08-60, Southern District of Texas, Houston.. I am suing the U.S. govt. to increase its current %u201C$50,000 Reward offers for these U.S. Soldiers to be %u201CEQUAL%u201D to the $25 Million dollars Reward money offered by U.S. Attorney General for chief terrorists at U.S. Govt. Internet Sites for U.S. State Dept and Justice Dept. Please contact news media & ask them to broadcast this Reward Offer. SEE: http://www.rewardsforjustice.net/ ; ; ; http://www.fbi.gov/page2/feb07/rewards021207.htm ; http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/terrorists/fugitives.htm ; ; ; http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=t&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-06,GGLD:en&q=kristian+menchaca video ; ; ; http://www.google.com/search?q=kristian menchaca video&hl= en&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-06,GGLD:en&pwst=1&start=10&sa=N

[miles1967-2009]

Give me a break!

McCain does not have the judgment and patience to lead America. He is an ill-informed, myopic, close-minded man who is easily swayed by the bigoted religious right. Check out the result of his BRILLIANT support of the "Surge", not to mention the fatally wrong idea to go to war with Iraq in the first place, and not actually go after the 9/11 terrorists. Check the facts at the below link and comment:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/18722376/the_myth_of_the_surge

[egresor]

that wasn''t literally at you and i know the humor side of it

but i''m sure more than one soldier does do it and what does that say on being able to handle such a situation?

i''m a viet vet and know what fear does to people''s thinking and judgement and the thought of being stoned on hash is bad news in a war situation.

[egresor]

that''s what we like to hear gkc99

our soldiers scoring some terrific hash

you have increased our confidence in our fighting force''s ability to think straight and make sounds judgemets.

:(

[sek1026]

If the situation in Iraq has improved, then lets celebrate by bringing the troops home. Oh, I forgot, it''s not in Bush''s or McCain''s plans.

[miles1967-2009]

McCain does not have the judgment and patience to lead America. He is an ill-informed, myopic, close-minded man who is easily swayed by the bigoted religious right. Check out the result of his BRILLIANT support of the "Surge", not to mention the fatally wrong idea to go to war with Iraq in the first place, and not actually go after the 9/11 terrorists. Check the facts at the below link:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/18722376/the_myth_of_the_surge

[miles1967-2009]

GladImnot,

I was with you on most of your first paragraph, but you went off the deep end on your second paragraph implicating U.S. in 9/11 and the response to.

I hate the Bush/Cheney admin and their foreign policy as much as the next guy, but I feel their fearmongering and incompetence do not extend to perpetrating terrorism against its own citizens or to interfering in military response to 9/11. I have read some of the conspiracy theories and they have been debunked.

[sueann702]

Still want to take our Constitution for granted?
Still support McCain or Hillary?
So you sold out your freedom for security?
Then the END is near.
Mark Of The Beast is coming because you idiots can''''t think.
The Republicans are slowly chipping away at our freedoms from the Constitution. North America Union is coming(Mexico/USA/Canada) if we let the same players (NWO Bush and NAFTA Hillary) remain in power.
Google NAU on youtube.
http://aclu.org/privacy/spying/surve
illancesocietyclock.html

[gkc99]

""Having just come from Iraq, I can tell you unequivocally that the situation has improved dramatically over the last year," McCain said,

"Although I couldn''t even go to my favorite souk and score some hash like I did last year, things are dramatically better. This year I only needed six real tall guys standing around me instead of a dozen to protect me from snipers."

"Things are going real well. But if we pull even one soldier out of Iraq, the whole thing will collapse. That''s because they''re going so well. In fact I want to have more troops here, longer, because things are going so well."

"AT least they''re going better for me here than they are in the US, where my pastor said that Catholics go to a W*H*O*R*E church. Now the Catholic League wants to lynch me, while the Muslims just want to blow me up, which would be a lot quicker."

[candide777]

Everyone knows in 5 years during a vicious battle with Iraq we have 4000 troops killed under BUSH

But did you know under Clintons 8 years we had 7500 troops killed and we didnt fight any major wars.

Food for thought
Posted by Hillarygrl34 at 06:30 PM : Mar 20, 2008

Why do conservatives always find it necessary to lie in order to prove their point? Could it be because they are wrong and also very unethical?

In Bush''s first six years as president, more troops had died (8,000+) than in Clinton''s entire 8 years. Check it out on factcheck.org where other lies promoted by conservatives like Hillarygrl34 are debunked.

[dgwooster]

"The surge is working. The surge is working. The surge is working."
Rinse and
Repeat.

- McCain For President Campaign

[singingrick]

To hear McBush tell it, the situation in Iraq going from total chaos to mere chaos, is success.


lol!

[wardoglrs]

Just setting the stage for there new world order

[macusweil]

If you''re happy with the results of the war and the US economy thank the GOP by voting this Nov 2008!!

[macusweil]

"I bet nobody knew this fact:
Everyone knows in 5 years during a vicious battle with Iraq we have 4000 troops killed under BUSH

But did you know under Clinton''s 8 years we had 7500 troops killed and we didn''t fight any major wars.

Food for thought "

Chew on this ..

Under Clinton did we have another 30,000 plus wounded who''s lives are forever changed or ruined? or did we spend 2 trillion dollars without victory?? did have the most federal spending and biggest deficit in US history???

No.

Wow!

[miles1967-2009]

McCain does not have the judgment and patience to lead America. He is an ill-informed, myopic, close-minded man who is easily swayed by the bigoted religious right. Check out the result of his BRILLIANT support of the "Surge", not to mention the fatally wrong idea to go to war with Iraq in the first place, and not actually go after the 9/11 terrorists. Check the facts at the below link:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/18722376/the_myth_of_the_surge


There is no debating the right-wing, mind-controlled, close-minded, hypocritical GOP sheep on this post. They have their closed minds made up, and DAM* the evidence. They distort, smear, and use race-tinged attacks to try and scare people. In short, these people are what is wrong with American today. They are the loyal followers of Karl Rove, Rush, McCain, Bush, and Cheney. They are lemmings incapable of thinking for themselves. Thus, they feel threatened by an intelligent, reasoned, logical candidate like Obama. They DESERVE 4 more years of lies, deceit, and fearmongering from McCain because that is all they know and understand. If I did not know that they and the administration they voted for were dragging this country down more and more, I might kind of feel sorry for them. They are pathetic...