McCain ties 2008 fate to US troops plan in Iraq
Source: Reuters
By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent WASHINGTON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - After months of calling for an increase in U.S. troops in Iraq, Republican Sen. John McCain got his wish -- and the fate of his 2008 White House bid could hang in the balance. While some Republican colleagues have backed away from President George W. Bush's politically unpopular plan or offered only nuanced support, McCain had little choice but to stand with Bush even if it dims his presidential hopes. The ultimate success or failure of the plan to send another 21,500 troops to Iraq could be a big factor in determining the political fate of the Arizona senator, an early favorite in the Republican presidential race and a bitter rival of Bush in the 2000 campaign. "If this doesn't work, McCain could go down with the ship," said Bruce Buchanan, a political analyst at the University of Texas. McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war who stresses his experience in foreign policy and military affairs, said he understands the political implications. "I'd much rather lose a campaign than lose a war," he said after Bush outlined the plan on Wednesday. Polls show up to two-thirds of Americans oppose Bush's proposal, which comes barely two months after voters rejected Bush's Republicans and elected a new Democratic Congress in part over frustration with the war effort. Democrats have rushed to tie McCain to the plan, with Democratic presidential contender John Edwards calling it "the McCain doctrine." Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, another declared candidate, singled out McCain for criticism. TROOP BOOST NECESSARY But McCain led the charge again on Friday during a Senate hearing. The former maverick, who has been courting conservatives, party insiders and former Bush allies for more than a year, said the troop boost was necessary to prevent chaos in Iraq. "I believe that those who disagree with this new policy should indicate what they would propose to do if we withdraw and Iraq descends into chaos," McCain said at a hearing with new Defense Secretary Robert Gates. While Democratic White House contenders including Sen. Hillary Clinton are united in opposing Bush's plan, it has splintered the Republican presidential field as well as Republicans in Congress. McCain's top White House rivals like former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney offered measured support. But Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, a longshot presidential contender, and another potential candidate, Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, criticized the plan. McCain, an early supporter of the war, has called for a troop buildup in Iraq for months, even after the November election when it looked like the more likely option was the beginning of a U.S. withdrawal. Some strategists believed he was positioning himself for an "I told you so" stance that the war had not been carried out properly. But Bush followed his advice, firmly linking McCain's political fate to the success of the plan. If it fails, the question will be whether voters question McCain's judgment or credit him for his guts. "McCain has attached himself to one of the greatest foreign policy mistakes in history," said Simon Rosenberg, head of the Democratic advocacy group NDN. But Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, an independent Democratic supporter of the war, defended McCain. "John is taking a gutsy position, not because he's read any political opinion polls or sifted through the results of the last election, because he thinks that's what right for America," Lieberman said. Last week McCain likened himself to past U.S. presidents who had taken stands that ran counter to public opinion. "Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry Truman -- many other presidents have taken unpopular positions for the good of the nation," he said.
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