Newsday.com has it in context
http://weblogs.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/blog/2008/06/video_mccain_iraq_withdrawal_n.htmlIt is actually worse than I expected - also the gas tax gimmick.
Rueters
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080611/pl_nm/usa_politics_dc"No, but that's not too important," McCain said on NBC's "Today Show." "What's important is the casualties in Iraq."
In dueling conference calls, the campaigns propelled Iraq and the squabble over national security credentials back to the front of the campaign agenda. The focus this week had been on the U.S. economy, an issue that many analysts believe favors Obama.
"It is unbelievably out of touch and inconsistent with the needs and concerns of Americans and particularly the families of the troops who are over there," said Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.
"To them it's the most important thing in the world when they come home. And it's the most important thing in the world that we have a commander-in-chief who understands how you can bring them home," said Kerry, a Vietnam veteran and close Obama supporter who lost the 2004 election to President George W. Bush.
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Fox News
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/06/11/dems-pile-on-mccain-for-saying-troop-withdrawal-timetable-not-too-important/“It is unbelievably out of touch and inconsistent with the needs and concerns of Americans,” Kerry said. “To them it’s the most important thing in the world when they come home, and it’s the most important thing in the world that we have a commander in chief who understands how they come home.
“It’s a policy for staying in Iraq … that’s a recipe for a third Bush term,” Kerry said.
“This is one further indication of his really striking lack of appreciation of the burden Iraq is placing on our military,” Obama foreign policy adviser Susan Rice said.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid earlier released a statement saying McCain’s assessment is “a crystal clear indicator that he just doesn’t get the grave national-security consequences of staying the course.”
CNN
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/06/11/mccains-latest-iraq-comments-draw-fire/MSNBC
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/06/11/1132092.aspx