On the interview with NBC's "Today" morning show, John McCain had this to say about the Iraq war:
In a live interview on NBC’s "Today," McCain discussed his economic plan, energy and Iraq. Promoted his tax cuts and criticized Obama’s plan– "I don’t want to redistribute the wealth." On energy, said his plan will promote nuclear and renewable energy, though he doubts gas prices will fall in the short term. On Iraq, said bringing troops home is "not too important," insisting that cutting casualties is the key goal.
And here's the video clip below:
Feel free to pass around as you like. We cannot AFFORD to have John McCain in office to play politics with the lives of our men and women in uniform!!!
And McCain just lied about Obama's stance on global warming:
On Friday, McCain attacked Obama's record on the environment during a campaign stop in the Florida Everglades.
"Sen. Obama has no record of being involved in this issue that I know of," he said. "I will stick by my record and my commitment of many years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
Uh, it seems that McCain has forgotten that he's done this with Obama on The Obama-McCain Climate Change Reduction Bill. Thanks to Roger Otip for pointing this out.
UPDATE: Senator Reid just hit McCain on this gaffe!
"McCain's statement today that withdrawing troops doesn't matter is a crystal clear indicator that he just doesn't get the grave national-security consequences of staying the course -- Osama bin Laden is freely plotting attacks, our efforts in Afghanistan are undermanned, and our military readiness has been dangerously diminished. We need a smart change in strategy to make America more secure, not a commitment to indefinitely keep our troops in an intractable civil war."
UPDATE #2: The Obama campaign is going to be holding a conference call at 11 a.m. on this story, according to Mark Halperin at The Page.
UPDATE #3: Here's the response from the McCain camp on this quickly developing story:
Sen. McCain has consistently opposed a timeline for withdrawing our troops from Iraq. And our friends on the opposite side of the aisle have a long history of attempting to twist Sen. McCain's words on Iraq. The fact that Sen. McCain opposes a timeline for withdrawal and is principally concerned about the safety of American troops and the security of Iraq is pretty much "dog bites man."
UPDATE #4: Senator Biden just hit McCain HARD on this!!
"Senator McCain’s comment is evidence that he is totally out of touch with the needs of our troops and the national security needs of our nation. I think many of our brave soldiers and their families would disagree that it’s ‘not too important’ when they come home.
"Knowing when our troops can come home from Iraq is vitally important, because the costs of staying with 140,000 or more troops are getting steeper every day: the continued loss of the lives and limbs of our soldiers; the strain on our troops and their families due to repeated, extended tours; the drain on our Treasury – $3 billion every week; the impact on the readiness of our armed forces; and the inability to send enough soldiers to the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the people who actually attacked us on 9-11 have regrouped and are plotting new attacks. It is long past time to refocus our foreign policy on the many challenges we face, not just Iraq.
"Like President Bush, Senator McCain cannot tell the American people when, or even if, Iraqis will come together politically – which was purpose of the surge in the first place. He can’t tell us when, or even if, we will draw down below pre-surge levels. He can’t tell us when, or even if, Iraq will be able to stand on its own two feet. He can’t tell us when, or even if, this war will end."
UPDATE #5: The Obama campaign just hit back with a blistering response to the McCain gaffe!
On an Obama campaign conference call with reporters just now, prominent Obama supporter John Kerry unleashed blistering criticism of McCain.
Speaking of military families, Kerry said: "To them it's the most important thing in the world when they come home."
Kerry also cast the comments as proof that McCain is befuddled about the situation our military finds itself in. "Our generals have made it crystal clear that we cannot sustain our forces in Iraq at this level," he said.
"Senator McCain, it is important when they come home," Kerry concluded. "It is important when we can revitalize our military."
EDITED FOR ADDITIONAL REMARKS FROM KERRY AND SUSAN RICE
"It is unbelievably out of touch and inconsistent with the needs of Americans and particularly the families of troops who are over there. To them it’s the most important thing in the world when they come home," he said. "It’s a policy for staying in Iraq."
Kerry and Obama aide Susan Rice also both said McCain is "confused" -- a line some in McCain's camp will surely take as a shot at the candidate's age.
"He confuses who Iran is training, he confuses what the makeup of Al Qaedais, he confuses the history going back to 682 of what has happened to Sunni and Shia," Kerry said.
Rice cited a "pattern of confusing the basic facts and reality that pertain to Iraq."
UPDATE #6: McCain attempts to change the subject by talking about Obama's "bitter" comments in Pennsylvania:
"We’re going to go to the small towns in Pennsylvania and I’m gonna to tell them I don’t agree with Senator Obama that they cling to their religion and the Constitution because they’re bitter."
UPDATE #7: Speaker Nancy Pelosi weighs on this as well:
Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today in response to Senator John McCain’s comments on the "Today" show this morning that it is "not too important" when our troops can redeploy from Iraq:
"Senator McCain’s statement that it is ‘not too important’ when U.S. troops are redeployed from Iraq is yet another indication how out of touch he is with the effect the war in Iraq is having on the readiness of our military. Addressing the national security implications of the military readiness crisis ought to be considered as extremely important by someone who aspires to be commander in chief.
"The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, said again yesterday that our military commitment in Iraq is hindering our ability to meet threats to our national security in places such as Afghanistan. Military leaders agree that the demands of frequent deployments to Iraq are stretching our Army to the breaking point, and that unacceptable strain is being placed on our troops, their families, and their equipment.
"For our military readiness, for the families of our brave men and women in uniform, and for our national security, America needs a New Direction in Iraq — not the continuation of the Bush-McCain plan for an endless war in Iraq.
UPDATE #8: Rep. Rahm Emmanuel also chimes in on this as well:
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel released the following statement reacting to Senator John McCain’s comments this morning on the Today Show that it is "not important" when American troops are able to come home from Iraq:
"When asked this morning about American troops coming home from Iraq, John McCain said ‘that’s not too important.’ Senator McCain, to the men and women who are serving their second, third, or even fourth deployment in Iraq, and to their families, it is incredibly important.
"Once again, John McCain has displayed a fundamental misunderstanding about the situation in Iraq, our strained military, and American troops and their families. The truth is, with more than 160,000 American troops in Iraq with no plan from the Bush Administration for a timely exit, Al-Qaeda reconstituting on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, and the American military strained beyond all appropriate readiness, bringing American troops home from Iraq is incredibly important. With each passing day, the more John McCain talks about Iraq, the more the American people are reminded of how much we need change in Washington - not more of the same from Senator McCain."