McCain Is 'Fine' Keeping our Troops in Iraq for 100 Years

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2008 - On NBC's Meet the Press this morning, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean announced that the DNC will air its second television advertisement of the 2008 Presidential Election season. Entitled "100," the ad will begin airing on cable networks nationally next week. While John McCain and the Republican Party are hoping voters will forget that McCain is "fine" with the Bush Administration's open-ended commitment in Iraq, the DNC will again give voters the chance to see and hear John McCain in his own words.

The ad features Senator McCain telling a town hall audience that despite the long war having cost our country $500 billion and 4,000 lives, staying in Iraq for 100 years "would be fine with me." The ad ends with the question all Americans must ask themselves when they go to the ballot box this November: "If all he offers is more of the same....is John McCain the right choice for America's future?"

John McCain's position on the war in Iraq is proving to be a political liability with voters who don't want more of the same disastrous Bush policies in Iraq. While just 31 percent of Americans approve of President Bush's handling of the war, McCain continues to be one of the most vocal supporters of the President's failed strategy there. And with the fifth anniversary of Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech Thursday, voters will be reminded of how wrong Bush and McCain have been on the war every step of the way. [Associated Press, 4/10/08]

This is the second ad the Democratic National Committee has launched this campaign season to expose McCain for the weak candidate that he is. Last week, the DNC launched the ad "Better Off," featuring John McCain explaining to the American people that despite the stark reality to the contrary, he thinks we "overall are better off" than we were eight years ago. As the campaign season continues, the DNC will continue to use McCain's words as proof that a vote for McCain is a vote for a third Bush term.

"What John McCain doesn't understand is that the American people aren't fine with being in Iraq for 100 years in any capacity," said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. "The American people want a President who will responsibly end the war, not more of the same failed policy in Iraq that continues to cost $12 billion a month. They want a President who will invest that money here at home to create jobs and ensure our kids have health care. The more voters learn about John McCain, we're confident they will recognize that he is the wrong choice for America's future."