McCain, Romney criticize Clinton, Obama on Iraq vote

WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate John McCain assailed Democratic rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama on Friday for voting against legislation paying for the Iraq war, accusing them of embracing "the policy of surrender."

Obama, in turn, criticized McCain and Republican hopeful Mitt Romney for "still supporting a war that has cost us thousands of lives, made us less safe in the world and resulted in a resurgence of al-Qaida."

The back-and-forth came a day after Congress sent President Bush legislation to pay for the war through September. It did not include a timetable for withdrawing troops that Democrats and anti-war activists had sought.

"What is Senator Obama and Senator Clinton's 'Plan B' if we withdraw?" McCain, an Arizona senator who backed the measure, said in a telephone interview. "What are their options if the withdrawal fails and we have chaos and genocide?"

Yet, when pressed, McCain suggested he didn't have an alternative plan for success should President Bush's recent troop build-up, which he supports, fail. "We are examining many other plans and none of the options are good," he said.

McCain also implied that the country would be less safe if Clinton or Obama became commander in chief. "I wouldn't use the words 'less safe,' I would use the wording that our national security would be at risk if we pursue the policy and cut off funding," McCain said.

In an earlier statement, he called his Democratic rivals' opposition to the spending bill "the equivalent of waving a white flag to al-Qaida." He said he was "very disappointed to see Senator Obama and Senator Clinton embrace the policy of surrender by voting against funds to support our brave men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Romney also criticized Clinton and Obama — and used the largely derided term of "Democrat Party" instead of Democratic Party.

"Voting against our troops during a time of war shows the American people that the leaders of the Democrat Party will abandon principle in favor of political positioning," said Romney, a former Massachusetts governor. He said the votes defined the two Democrats' lack of leadership on national security and "render them undependable."

In a rebuttal statement, Obama, an Illinois senator, said: "This country is united in our support for our troops, but we also owe them a plan to relieve them of the burden of policing someone elses civil war. Governor Romney and Senator McCain clearly

believe the course we are on in Iraq is working, but I do not."

He said McCain's recent visit to a Baghdad market under heavy guard was a reflection of a failing policy.