McCain - Sen. Obama On Countering Iranian Influence

Today, with Senator Barack Obama's remarks to the AIPAC Policy Conference where he proposed a policy that conflicts with the advice of our commanders on the ground, McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds issued the following statement:

"It's been 878 days since Barack Obama has visited Iraq and that fact shows through every day. Barack Obama's belief that the arbitrary withdrawal of American troops from Iraq would counter Iranian influence is simply not credible. It would result in a failed Iraqi state which would only make Iran stronger not weaker. Barack Obama was wrong to say the Surge would fail, wrong to vote against funding our troops in the field and he is wrong to disregard the advice of our commanders."

Today, Barack Obama Said That The U.S. Troop Presence In Iraq Is Strengthening Iran and Repeated His Call For An Arbitrary Withdrawal Of Our Troops:

At AIPAC, Barack Obama Said Our Troop Presence In Iraq Is Strengthening Iran. OBAMA: "Senator McCain offers a false choice: stay the course in Iraq, or cede the region to Iran. I reject this logic because there is a better way. Keeping all of our troops tied down indefinitely in Iraq is not the way to weaken Iran - it is precisely what has strengthened it. It is a policy for staying, not a plan for victory. I have proposed a responsible, phased redeployment of our troops from Iraq. We will get out as carefully as we were careless getting in. We will finally pressure Iraq's leaders to take meaningful responsibility for their own future." (Barack Obama, Remarks At AIPAC, Washington, D.C., 6/4/08)

On April 8, 2008, General David Petraeus Testified Against A "Set Withdrawal Timetable" So That Our Forces Have The Flexibility They Need To "Preserve The Still-Fragile Security Gains" And Promote The "Gradual Establishment Of Sustainable Security In Iraq"

General David Petraeus Further Testified That A Failed Iraq Would Have "Serious Consequences For The Efforts To Counter Malign Iranian Influence." "A failed state in Iraq would pose serious consequences for the greater fight against al Qaeda, for regional stability, for the already existing humanitarian crisis in Iraq and for the efforts to counter malign Iranian influence. It clearly is in our national interest to help Iraq prevent the resurgence of al Qaeda in the heart of the Arab world, to help Iraq resist Iranian encroachment on its sovereignty, to avoid renewed ethnosectarian violence that could spill over Iraq's borders and make the existing refugee crisis even worse, and to enable Iraq to expand its role in the regional and global economies." (U.S. Sen ate Armed Services Committee, Hearing, 4/8/08)

· Click Here To Read The General Petraeus Testimony

FACT: Barack Obama Would Withdraw Troops Without Concerns For The Conditions On The Ground Or The Advice Of Our Commanders On The Ground

Barack Obama: "I Would End This War, And I Would Have Our Troops Out Within 16 Months." OBAMA: "Finally, in 2006-2007, we started to see that, even after an election, George Bush continued to want to pursue a course that didn't withdraw troops from Iraq but actually doubled them and initiated a search and at that stage I said very clearly, not only have we not seen improvements, but we're actually worsening, potentially, a situation there. And since that time, I've been absolutely clear in terms of the approach that I would take. I would end this war, and I would have our troops out within 16 months." (NBC's "Meet The Press," 11/11/07)

FACT: In 2007, Barack Obama Voted Against Funding Our Military Men And Women In Iraq And Afghanistan And Pledged To Continue Doing So.

Obama Voted Against Providing $94.4 Billion In Critical Funding For The Troops In Iraq And Afghanistan. (H.R. 2206, CQ Vote #181: Passed 80-14: R 42-3; D 37-10; I 1-1, 5/24/07, Obama Voted Nay)

· "Courting The Anti-War Constituency, Democratic Presidential Rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton And Barack Obama Both Voted Against Legislation That Pays For The Iraq War But Lacks A Timeline For Troop Withdrawal." (Liz Sidoti, "Clinton, Obama Vote 'No' On Iraq Bill," The Associated Press, 5/25/07)


Responding To MoveOn.org, Barack Obama Pledged To Vote Against Future Funding For The Troops In Iraq. "Seventy-two hours after MoveOn.org threw down the gauntlet, telling ABC News that Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., needed to speak out 'sooner and more vocally' in opposition to voting for an Iraq funding measure that does not include a timetable for withdrawal, both Democratic presidential contenders have done exactly that." (Teddy Davis, Jonathan Greenberger, and Donna Hunter, "Clinton, Obama Take No Funding Pledge," ABC News' "Political Radar" Blog, www.abcnews.com, 9/17/07)

· Obama: "If there is a funding bill that does not have a timetable for when we begin withdrawal, and the completion -- a plan for how that withdrawal will proceed -- I will not support it." (Teddy Davis, Jonathan Greenberger, and Donna Hunter, "Clinton, Obama Take No Funding Pledge," ABC News' "Political Radar" Blog, www.abcnews.com, 9/17/07)