McCain Uses Troop Withdrawal News to Criticize Obama on Iraq
(LANCASTER, PA.) – Calling Barack Obama "confused" and "reckless" with regards to Iraq, John McCain used the planned withdrawal of 8,000 troops to attack his opponent's foreign policy credentials.
"His proposal – to withdraw forces based on a political timetable, no matter the consequences for Iraq or American national security – is profoundly irresponsible,' McCain said. "Sen. Obama's comments today demonstrate again his commitment to retreating from Iraq no matter what the cost."
Obama shot back that McCain and President Bush have been fighting the wrong war.
"What President Bush and Sen. McCain don't understand is that the central front in the war on terror is not in Iraq, and it never was – the central front is in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the terrorists who hit us on 9/11 are still plotting attacks seven years later," Obama said. "John McCain has been talking a lot about change, but he's running for four more years of the same foreign policy that we've had under George Bush."
Obama applauded Bush's decision to divert some troops that were scheduled to deploy to Iraq to Afghanistan instead, but said that not enough are being sent and since they won't arrive until February, they aren't being sent soon enough. McCain argued that soldiers must be kept in both countries.
"Sen. Obama believes we must lose in Iraq to win in Afghanistan," McCain said. "As we succeed in Iraq, we must also succeed in Afghanistan."