McCain addresses Obama's trip
Posted: Thursday, July 17, 2008 4:18 PM by Mark MurraySecurity
From NBC's Adam Aigner-Treworgy and NBC's Lauren Appelbaum McCain spoke about Obama’s upcoming trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. “I know that Sen. Obama is going to Iraq. I was very interested that he articulated and announced his polices and approach to Iraq before he went, not after. Remarkable. I’ve been on a lot of trips around the world -- usually at your expense -- but I usually issue my policy statements when I get back," he said.
"I hope he’ll sit down with General Petraeus and General Odierno, who’s taking General Petraeus’ place very soon," McCain added. "That -- and that he will understand what’s at stake here, and what happens in Iraq affects what happens in Afghanistan. Yes, we need more troops in Afghanistan. But if we’d have failed in Iraq, my friends, the consequences would have spread throughout the region because the United States would have lost and then left in retreat."
In an additional rebuttal to Obama's trip, the McCain campaign released a video -- entitled "The Obama Iraq Documentary: Whatever the Politics Demand" -- which accuses Obama of shifting positions based on Iraq. The eight-minute piece includes 22 video clips of Obama speaking about various aspects of the war in Iraq, including the surge, withdrawal and troop funding.
Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan replied to the video, “All John McCain has ever looked for in Iraq are reasons to stay there indefinitely. He has stubbornly championed a strategy of fighting an unnecessary war in Iraq regardless of the shifting facts offered to justify it, regardless of the levels of violence and political progress in the country, and regardless of the gathering strength of the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan."
"And now," Sevugan continued, "as he advocates a policy of staying in Iraq indefinitely, it is clear that he is going to continue to adhere to George Bush’s ideological agenda even as every other critical national security challenge is neglected, and our troops continue to fight tour after tour of duty and our taxpayers spend $10 billion a month in Iraq,” said Obama campaign spokesman Hari Sevugan.
