Man, things are really heating up. Read below about what John McCain said about Mitt Romney today. Romney is not happy. Did McCain mischaracterize Romney's position? You be the judge. From The Associated Press:
John McCain accused Mitt Romney of wanting to withdraw troops from Iraq, drawing immediate protest from his Republican presidential rival who said: "That's simply wrong and it's dishonest, and he should apologize."
The fight for Florida grew ever more intense Saturday ahead of the state's pivotal primary as a fairly civil debate over economic records and leadership credentials spiraled into an all-out showdown.
As the two candidates campaigned along the state's southwest coast, McCain sought the upper hand with a new line of criticism, telling reporters in Ft. Meyers about Iraq: "If we surrender and wave a white flag, like Senator Clinton wants to do, and withdraw, as Governor Romney wanted to do, then there will be chaos, genocide, and the cost of American blood and treasure would be dramatically higher."
Minutes earlier, the Arizona senator took a slap at Romney without naming him during a question-and-answer session with Floridians, saying: "Now, one of my opponents wanted to set a date for withdrawal that would have meant disaster."
Asked about the comment in Land O' Lakes, Romney balked. "That's dishonest, to say that I have a specific date. That's simply wrong," he said. "That is not the case. I've never said that."
"I know he's trying desperately to change the topic from the economy and trying to get back to Iraq, but to say something that's not accurate is simply wrong - and he knows better," the former Massachusetts governor said.
By raising Iraq, McCain sought to shift the campaign in Florida back to his strength, national security, and away from Romney's, the economy.
While Romney has never set a public date for withdrawal, he has said that President Bush and Iraqi leaders should have private timetables and benchmarks with which to gauge progress on the war and determine troop levels. He has said publicly that he agrees with Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, that U.S. troops could move to more of an oversight role in 2008.
Watch Romney talk about secret timetables and withdrawals here. This is the statement that McCain is referring to.
More here from Jill Hazelbaker, McCain's Communications Director:
"Mitt Romney's position on the war in Iraq has been a study in flexibility. Like every other issue of importance in this race, Mitt Romney has changed his position. On April 3, 2007 he advocated secret timetables for withdrawal from Iraq. His exact words were 'of course you have to work together to create timetables and milestones.' In October 2007, Romney said that Hillary Clinton, who supports Iraq withdrawal, is 'not going to be demanding a dramatically different course in Iraq than the Republican nominee will.' These statements, along with Romney's inability to stick with a consistent position, provide further evidence that he lacks the critical experience and judgment necessary to lead as commander in chief."
So here's the question: Is this line by McCain accurate:
"One of my opponents wanted to set a date for withdrawal that would have meant disaster."
Romney says that's over the top and absolutely inaccurate. Was it? On the one hand, it does seem that the statement is so open ended that it can be construed as misleading but Romney left himself vulnerable by making the open ended secret timetable comment in the first place.
Clearly, John McCain wants to talk about the war. Romney wants to talk about the economy. That's the underlying theme here.
Leave your comments here and I'll post them.