McCain: Progress is being made in Iraq [View All]

Source: Associated Press

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent
25 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Republican presidential contender John McCain (news, bio, voting record) said Tuesday, "we are starting to turn things around" in the Iraq war, as he broke off campaigning in Florida to vote against a proposed troop withdrawal timeline.

In a speech on the Senate floor, the Arizona Republican said President Bush's decision to dispatch additional troops last winter "is working far better than even the most optimistic supporter had predicted. Progress is tangible in many key areas despite the fact that only 40 percent of the planned forces are in Iraq," he added.

McCain spoke on a day in which two nearly simultaneous attacks outside Baghdad killed at least 48 Iraqis, and he said he did not want to paint an overly optimistic picture. He added, "I have been critical of the conduct of this war since 2003, and very much regret that only now, four years into the conflict, are we beginning to implement the kind of strategy that was necessary from the start."

Aides said it was the first time he had systematically addressed recent events in Iraq, and he had decided to do so on the Senate floor in the run-up to a pivotal vote.





Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070328/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_iraq

---

Oh, shut up already, you senile old fool.