McCain sees troops out of Iraq by 2013

WASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain looked into the future Thursday and predicted that U.S. troops would return home in victory by the end of his first term as president in 2013.

"By January 2013, America has welcomed home most of the servicemen and women who have sacrificed terribly so that America might be secure in her freedom. The Iraq war has been won," McCain said in Columbus, Ohio. A smaller core of U.S. troops in noncombat roles would remain in Iraq, he said.

He also predicted that the threat from the Taliban in Afghanistan would be "greatly reduced but not eliminated" and that Osama bin Laden would be killed or captured.

McCain's comments quickly drew widespread condemnation from Democrats and questions about whether he was setting a timetable for withdrawal, something he has strenuously criticized.

"It's not a timetable; it's victory. It's victory, which I have always predicted. I didn't know when we were going to win World War II; I just knew we were going to win," said McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president. "I know from experience, you set a day for surrender — which is basically what you do when you say you are withdrawing — and you will pay a much a heavier price later on."

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., who favors a withdrawal, said McCain offered no concrete proposals to back up his goal. "This is not the first time Sen. McCain has predicted victory in Iraq," Clinton said. "Our country cannot afford more empty promises on Iraq."

Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said, "I like John's dream, I like John's goal." But, he added, he hasn't heard how McCain would make that dream come true.

McCain has been under attack for weeks by Democrats and liberal interest groups for his many previous remarks that U.S. troops could be in Iraq for 100 years or more. Although McCain made clear that he envisioned that presence in a nonhostile environment — much as U.S. troops remain in South Korea more than 50 years after the Korean War ended — his opponents seem to hope his word choice will hurt McCain with a war-weary electorate.

At MoveOn.org, the liberal anti-war group, Executive Director Eli Pariser said McCain is only offering voters "double talk," rather than his famous straight talk.

"McCain has been President Bush's chief cheerleader and enabler when it comes to Iraq," Pariser said. "McCain, like Bush, continues to say victory is near, but offers no plan to get there, just more of the same failed Bush policy that got us into this mess."

In his speech, McCain also emphasized his commitment to working in a bipartisan manner to move the country forward. His track record of working with Democrats on campaign finance, judicial nominations and immigration is something his campaign wants to make sure that voters know about.

He said he is willing to "work with anyone who sincerely wants to get this country moving again. ... And I won't care who gets the credit."

He also envisioned all his major proposals working out swimmingly, such as robust economic growth, thanks to extending the Bush tax cuts, lowering the corporate tax rate, phasing out the alternative minimum tax and signing more free-trade agreements.

Material from McClatchy Newspapers is included in this report.