CNN's Jeffrey Toobin blasts John McCain for lying

MR. RUSSERT: Over the last few days, however, the fire exchanged by you and Mitt Romney has been rather intense. This is what you said in a statement yesterday about Governor Romney: "The fact is Governor Romney has hedged, equivocated," has "ducked and reversed himself." What are you talking about specifically?

SEN. McCAIN: I'm talking specifically about a number of issues, but in the specific case, in the case of whether we should have maintained the surge in Iraq and whether, at the--April of 2007, when we had a choice between doing the surge when things were at their lowest, when Republicans and the Democrats were saying that we've got to withdraw, we have to have, "timetables." Timetables was the buzzword at that time, and there were--and it was a defining moment. It was the low point in my political career. And we--Lindsey Graham, I, the president and others--said this is what needs to be done, no matter what the consequences are. Governor Romney obviously said there had to be, "timetables," although they had to be secret because we weren't going to tell the enemy when we were leaving. I mean, that's--that's just a fact. And if we'd have done that, as the Democrats and some Republicans wanted to do, we would've lost that surge and al-Qaeda would be celebrating a victory over the United States of America.

MR. RUSSERT: Governor Romney said he never suggested a specific timetable, you're being dishonest and you should apologize.

SEN. McCAIN: I see. Well, you know, you flash these up on the screen all the time. Let me just--let me just see, he said--when he was asked should a timetable--should there be a timetable for withdrawing the troops? "Well, there's no question the president and Prime Minister al-Maliki have to have a series of timetables and milestones that they speak about, but they shouldn't be for public pronouncement. You don't want the enemy to understand how long they have to wait in the weeds until you're going to be gone." That's, that's, my friend, is the quote. That was a clear indication of setting timetables that would--you know, but you don't want to tell the enemy when you're going to be gone. It's very clear.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22867407/

CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin: " Speaking of straight talk, no American politician has gotten more adoring press coverage than John McCain. But let's be clear about what John McCain is doing about Mitt Romney. He's lying. He's lying about Mitt Romney's position, no question about it. And you know I think that — this idea that Mitt Romney supports timetables, in fact most Americans support timetables to get out of Iraq, Mitt Romney doesn't happen to be one of them.

ABC's Robin Roberts: "Do you believe that there should be a timetable in withdrawing the troops?"

Romney: "Well, there's no question that the president and Prime Minister al-Maliki have to have a series of timetables and milestones that they speak about. But those shouldn't be for public pronouncement. You don't want the enemy to understand how long they have to wait in the weeds until you're going to be gone. You want to have a series of things you want to see accomplished in terms of the strength of the Iraqi military and the Iraqi police, and the leadership of the Iraqi government."

Roberts: "So, private. You wouldn't do it publicly? Because the president has said flat out that he will veto anything the Congress passes about a timetable for troop withdrawals. As president, would you do the same?"

Romney: "Well, of course. Can you imagine a setting where during the Second World War we said to the Germans, 'Gee, if we haven't reached the Rhine by this date, why, we'll go home, or if we haven't gotten this accomplished we'll pull up and leave?' You don't publish that to your enemy, or they just simply lie in wait until that time. So, of course you have to work together to create timetables and milestones, but you don't do that with the opposition."