McCain Says Obama "Failed" Test


By Karen E. Crummy, Denver Post
July 25, 2008

Article Excerpts:

Republican presidential candidate John McCain received a warm welcome and standing ovation from a Hispanic veterans group Friday as he sought to highlight his credentials to be the country's commander-in-chief.

Speaking at Denver's Grand Hyatt hotel, McCain said he and rival Barack Obama faced a choice 18 months ago when the situation in Iraq had deteriorated. In prepared remarks, the Arizona senator called it a "real-time test for a future commander-in-chief. America passed that test."

McCain advocated sending more troops to Iraq before the Bush Administration decided to follow that strategy. Obama has opposed it and said again this week that he did not think the surge alone contributed to reduced violence in Iraq.

"I believe my judgment passed that test," McCain told the the crowd of about 500 attending the American GI Forum. "And I believe Senator Obama's failed."

As he has been for much of the week while his Democratic rival traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel and Europe, McCain highlighted the differences in the two candidates' characterization of the surge.

"My choice was not smart politics," McCain said. "It didn't test well in focus groups. It ignored all the polls. It also didn't matter. The country I love had one final chance to succeed in Iraq. The new strategy was it. So I supported it. Today, the effects of the new strategy are obvious. The surge has succeeded, and we are, at long last, finally winning this war."

In contrast, he said, "Senator Obama made a different choice. He not only opposed the new strategy, but actually tried to prevent us from implementing it. He didn't just advocate defeat, he tried to legislate it. When his efforts failed, he continued to predict the failure of our troops."

McCain added: "Senator Obama said this week that even knowing what he knows today that he still would have opposed the surge. In retrospect, given the opportunity to choose between failure and success, he chooses failure. I cannot conceive of a Commander in Chief making that choice."

The American GI Forum, an organization formed after World War II to address issues for Hispanic veterans, is holding its national conference in Denver. The group is scheduled to hear from New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson -- an Obama supporter -- at a banquet this evening.

Hispanic registered voters support Obama for president over McCain by 66 percent to 23 percent, according to a nationwide survey of 2,015 Latinos conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center, from June 9 through July 13, 2008.

McCain used his address to reiterate his commitment to the care of U.S. troops, saying the country owes those who have "borne the burden of war" training, rehabilitation, education and quality medical care.

"As President, I will ensure that those who serve today and who have served in the past have access to the highest quality health, mental health and rehabilitative care in the world," he said. "The disgrace of Walter Reed will not be forgotten. Nor will we accept a situation in which veterans are denied access to care due to great travel distances, backlogs of appointments, and years of pending disability evaluation and claims.

He closed his speech by expressing gratitude to Hispanic Americans who have contributed to the security of the country.

"I represent Arizona where Spanish was spoken before English was, and where the character and prosperity of our state owes much to the Arizonans of Hispanic descent who live there," he said. "And I know this country, which I love more than almost anything, would be poorer were we deprived of the patriotism, industry and decency of those millions of Americans whose families came here from Mexico, Central and South America." . . .

After speaking to the veterans group, McCain is headed to the mountains to meet with the Dalai Lama in Aspen. The 2:10 p.m. meeting, scheduled to take place at a private home. The Dalai Lama is speaking to the Aspen Institute during a weeklong seminar on Buddhism.

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