McCain says British withdrawal from Iraq was not a good idea

There's lots of excitement in parts of the UK blogosphere (eg here and here) about John McCain cancelling a meeting with Gordon Brown.  McCain was due to be in Europe this weekend for the Munich security conference.  He was to have a meeting with Gordon Brown en route but, with his Republican rivals still campaigning, McCain decided that he would need to stay on US soil.  Not a great snub to the British Prime Minister but a warning to all spin doctors that it's not wise to pre-brief meetings until you are really sure that they are going to happen.

A much more significant story gets much less attention from the blogs but is undoubtedly more important.  The FT reports Senator McCain's disappointment at the UK's withdrawal from Basra:

"The Arizona senator, who has been a strong supporter of the surge, echoed the misgivings of the US military about the British move, telling reporters he “did not think it was a good idea”... “I understand the British domestic situation and I very much appreciate the service and sacrifice the British military made in Iraq and are making in Afghanistan ... Obviously we’d have liked to see them stay longer but the enormous contribution they made in Iraq and Afghanistan I have to just be grateful for.”"

Up until now newspapers have reported private White House and military disappointment at the British withdrawal but this is the first time that a very senior American politician has spoken publicly.

Comments

[pro_usa1776]

McCain is a bitter, petty, and tired old man! I will not vote for him. He will not win in Michigan, Mitt could have. Sorry, I am not voting for him unless Mitt is on the ticket! McCain knew that Mitt was his rival and the only one to defeat him!