McCain Criticizes Senate Democrats' Anti-war Effort As Surrender

Setting a date to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq would amount to surrender, Sen. John McCain said. The Arizona Republican and candidate for president, in Indianapolis for a private fundraiser, told reporters the proper role for Congress is to fund the war. 'The Democrats have lost sight of the fact that presidents don't lose wars, and political parties don't lose wars,' McCain said. 'Nations lose wars, and when the majority leader of the Senate stands up and says the war is lost, you have to ask, 'Who won? Al-Qaida?' The American people don't want us to fail. And if you can show them a path to success, they'll support it.' Friday, the Senate blocked a Democratic proposal that would have ordered most U.S. troops home from Iraq in nine months. The vote was 47-47, or 13 votes short of the 60 needed to cut off debate. Earlier in the week, the Senate blocked legislation that would have guaranteed troops more time at home and another Democratic measure that would have cut off funding for combat in June 2008.'We were able to beat back these amendments to set a date for surrender because, I believe, of Gen. (David) Petraeus' performance before the Congress and the American people. He did a very good job,' said McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Last week, Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, recommended to Congress and President Bush that some 130,000 troops be kept there through next summer, a slight decrease from the more than 160,000 troops there now. McCain said he would not support a timetable. 'The key is not so much when we withdraw; it's when we get the situation under control and bring U.S. casualties down, and the Iraqi military is taking over more and more of the responsibilities,' he said. 'We still have troops in the Balkans, we still have troops in Okinawa, we still have troops in South Korea, but that's because there's a stable environment there.' He said Congress and the administration should know within a few months whether the surge strategy is going to succeed. In the meantime, he said, the assessment by Petraeus 'has bought us some time.'