Rep. Wilson Suggests McCain Would Like Troops Home "Earlier Than 16 Months"
(EPPING, N.H.) The timetable for pulling troops out of Iraq has become one of the main points of contention between John McCain and Barack Obama, and today one of McCain's supporters, Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.), indicated McCain may be amenable to American troops coming home sooner than many people expect.
"He'd like troops to come home earlier than 16 months, if the conditions allow it," Wilson said on a conference call. "Sen. Obama has said it's a 16-month timeline no matter what. And he's apparently today muddied his position somewhat on this. But we never -- I think the important thing here is -- we never would have gotten to this situation if Sen. Obama had his way, because he would have withdrawn from Iraq and left it in a mess."
McCain did not mention any specific timelines when asked about Wilson's comment today, repeating his assertion that troop withdrawal would be dependent on conditions on the ground.
"The surge has succeeded. It has succeeded. We are winning the war. If we had done what Sen. Obama wanted, we'd have lost," McCain said.
"Apparently Sen. Obama, who does not understand what's happening in Iraq or fails to acknowledge the success in Iraq, would rather lose a war than lose a campaign."
When asked about the hot topic of the week, his vice-presidential pick, McCain declined to answer a question on if this was a good week to announce his choice.
"We have the same answer as we always had," McCain said, chuckling at the question. "When we announce we're ready to announce, we'll announce."