McCain Tries to Clarify ‘100 Year’ Remark

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Sen. John McCain tried again today to clarify earlier comments that it would be fine with him if U.S. troops remain in Iraq for 100 years or more, and he suggested that his own political fate is tied to success in Iraq.

At a town hall meeting in this Cleveland suburb, he again compared a long-term commitment in Iraq to the sort of long-term military presence that the U.S. has maintained in South Korea. Asked about benchmarks to measure progress in Iraq, McCain said the most important measure is when the Iraqi military will be able to take over responsibility for protecting the population, allowing the U.S. forces to take on a support role.

“By the way,” he said, “that reminds me of this 100-year thing.”

In New Hampshire in January, he had said that it would be “fine with me” if U.S. troops were in Iraq for 100 years, comparing their future role to that of U.S. soldiers in Korea or Japan.

“I was asked at a town hall meeting back before how long would we would have a presence in Iraq,” McCain said today. “My friends, the war will be over soon — the war, for all intents and purposes — although the insurgency will go on for years and years and years. But it’ll be handled by the Iraqis not by us. And then we decide what kind of security arrangement we want to have with the Iraqis.”

“My Democrat friends like to distort that comment,” he added.

Speaking to reporters separately, he said he would lose the election if he can’t persuade voters that U.S. policy in Iraq is succeeding. He quickly modified his words, but said Americans are still likely to judge his candidacy largely on what happens in Iraq.

His comments come as a coalition of Democratic Groups announced that they will target McCain and certain congressional Republicans for their support of the war in a $20 million national campaign. Specifically, they plan to use television ads and voter mobilization efforts to make the case that U.S. economic problems are partly the result of the war.

Today the Pentagon announced that there will be an estimated 140,000 troops in Iraq when the U.S. troop buildup concludes in July, the Associated Press reported. The figure is roughly 8,000 more troops than what was originally projected when President Bush ordered five additional brigades into Iraq to aid security efforts and prevent civil war. U.S. military forces are expected to remain in Iraq after July, but how many and for how long remain unclear.

[via Wall Street Journal]

Bill Jefferson @ February 26, 2008