Meeting with Bush, McCain and Graham Report Progress in Iraq

ABC News’ Karen Travers Reports: Senators John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., met with President Bush on Thursday to discuss their recent trip to Iraq, and told the president that while there were signs of progress, challenges still remain.

"We also talked about the fact that we are pleased with some of the progress that has been made already but recognizing it’s very long and very tough and very difficult, as exemplified today by the explosions in the Green Zone," McCain said. "Suicide bombings are very, very difficult to counter. The Israelis learned that a long time ago. And it’s difficult and tragic"

Staying away from the initial grand announcements of progress that he had made in Baghdad, McCain said that there is "some stability in some of the areas of Baghdad" and said there has been progress in Anbar province, though he did not make any statements on significant security improvements.

Graham agreed with McCain’s sense of progress, saying that he believes the president’s current strategy is not "too little too late," and that when the additional troops get to Baghdad, they will make a "substantial difference."

"It would be a huge mistake for this country to let a suicide bomber or a car bomber to define the 21st century and to determine our national security policy," Graham said.

Both McCain and Graham said that a troop withdrawal deadline was a bad idea, with McCain calling it "a declaration of surrender," and Graham saying it would be a "devastating blow" to General Petraeus.

"If we declare a date for withdrawal, then the bad guys and Al Qaeda and the rest of them lay back until we leave," McCain said. "And so far, those that want to set a date for withdrawal have not given any idea of what we would do next. And I believe there would be chaos and genocide in the region, and they would want to follow us home."

"The day you set a deadline you’re going to undo all the gains we’ve made because the political players get frozen out," Graham said. "They no longer think about what’s in the long-term interests of the Iraqi people and political solutions to problems; they think about what happens when the Americans leave."

"It would be a devastating blow to General Petraeus and the progress we’ve made to set deadlines."

McCain also offered tepid support of Prime Minister Maliki.  When asked if he believed Maliki was doing all that needs to be done to improve the security situation in Iraq, McCain said, "I believe so, but we’ll find out. We’ve made it very clear that it’s a vital part of this whole process, and we’ll know. We’ll know."

Graham was a bit stronger in his endorsement and support of Maliki, saying that he and McCain told the prime minister that they believe he is capable of doing the job, but that he has to prove it to them and the American people.