McCain: Obama Has a "Profound Misunderstanding" About Iraq
From CBS News' John Bentley:
Using Barack Obama's decisions about who he will and won't meet with, John McCain attacked Obama over his policies toward Iraq. "Why is it that Sen. Obama wants to sit down with the President of Iran, but hasn't yet sat down with Gen. Petraeus?" McCain asked today, alluding to Obama's comments about meeting with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. While Obama has been in hearings with the American commander in Iraq, he has not had a private meeting with Gen. David Petraeus.
McCain was also critical of Obama's response to his invitation to go with him to Iraq. "I'd be glad to go with him, because these issues are far more important than any election," McCain said. The Obama campaign responded that the proposal was a "stunt," according to the response McCain read from Obama spokesman Bill Burton. "We don't need any more 'Mission Accomplished' banners or walks through Baghdad markets to know that Iraq's leaders have not made the political progress that was the stated purpose of the surge," Burton wrote.
McCain said Obama's response represents a "profound misunderstanding" of what is happening in Iraq. "I've been back to Iraq on many occasions," McCain said. "The most vital decision that any President of the United States can make, or frankly any elected official, has got to be about the security of this nation."