John McCain Worse than George W. Bush on Iraq

Despite these numbers, Senator McCain actually promotes a larger escalation than his friend George W. Bush, having said on NBC's Meet the Press regarding escalation, "I am concerned about it, whether it is sufficient numbers or not. I would have like to have seen more...do I believe that if it had been up to me would there have been more? Yes." [NBC News, Meet the Press, 1/21/07].

"John McCain seems to have left his maverick credentials behind on his 2000 Campaign bus," said Washington State Democratic Party Chair Dwight Pelz. "John McCain touts his military credentials but ends up as the leading advocate for George Bush's failed war."

John McCain - Worse than Bush on Iraq

Even After the State of the Union, McCain Questioned Whether or Not The Troop Increase Was Enough. McCain told ABC News after the State of the Union, "I am very concerned as whether it's enough troops or not," and just this morning told CNN, "I thought there were more troops needed." [ABC News, 1/23/07; CNN, 1/24/07]

McCain Would Have Called For More Troops In Iraq. McCain addressed the planned escalation of 21,500 additional troops for Iraq, saying, "I am concerned about it, whether it is sufficient numbers or not. I would have like to have seen more...do I believe that if it had been up to me would there have been more? Yes." [NBC News, Meet the Press, 1/21/07]

McCain Among Those Calling for "At Last 30,000" More Troops. Frank Rich noted in his column in the New York Times that two proponents of Bush's strategy, "wrote that escalation could only succeed 'with a surge of at least 30,000 combat troops' - a figure that has also been cited by Mr. McCain." [New York Times, 1/14/07]

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