INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate John McCain warned Saturday that U.S. failure in Iraq would eventually pull America into a "wider and more difficult war" in the troubled region.| "If we set a date for withdrawal, that's a date for surrender." |
McCain later told reporters, "If we set a date for withdrawal, that's a date for surrender."
McCain's comments largely echoed his previous remarks on the war: he lashed out at Democrats, criticized earlier mistakes by civilian and military commanders; and asserted the troop increase in Iraq was succeeding. He evoked Ronald Reagan's struggle against communism, saying the U.S. won the Cold War "on our terms."
"The war in Iraq has not gone well and the American people have grown sick and tired of it. I understand that," McCain said. "Like you, I want our troops to come home, but I want them to come home with honor."