McCain: Clinton Caving to 'Fringe' Elements
RINDGE, N.H., Nov. 19, 2007 — -- Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain harshly criticized Sen. Hillary Clinton on the war in Iraq and U.S. policy toward Iran, and said she was caving in on both issues to "fringe" elements in her party.
In a speech Sunday night to about 150 students at Franklin Pierce College, McCain accused the Democratic front-runner of yielding to anti-war sentiment by backing a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq and ignoring signs that the military troop surge is working.
"Sen. Clinton told Gen. [David] Petraeus that his confidence in his new strategy and in the ability of the troops he has the honor to command required 'a willing suspension of disbelief," McCain said, referencing a September exchange between Clinton and Petraeus.
"Now, it becomes clear that Gen. Petraeus was right. For the time being, Sen. Clinton has suspended her belief in the abundant evidence of success as her rivals and the fringe of her party pull her toward a position she knows is irresponsible."
McCain Slams Clinton for Proposing Talks With Iran
He also criticized Clinton for proposing talks with Iranian officials about its nuclear program.
"We can make it very clear to Iran's leaders that we will not allow them to obtain weapons that would destabilize the entire Middle East and threaten America's most vital security interests," McCain said. "Sen. Clinton would start with unconditional negotiations, despite Iran's clear record of using negotiations to forestall sanctions and growing international opposition while they accelerate their nuclear program."
At the same time, the Arizona senator said Republican candidates should be more respectful when criticizing the New York senator. He said it was wrong to "degrade or ridicule" someone seeking national office. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has lately imitated Clinton in a mocking tone. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney frequently invokes her name on the stump, referring derisively to her health-care proposal as "Hillary Care" and sometimes facetiously likening her to Karl Marx.
"While our differences are many and profound, I intend this to be a respectful debate. She and I disagree over America's direction, and it is a serious disagreement. But I don't doubt her ability to lead this country where she thinks it should go."
But McCain also came under some criticism for his response to a female supporter in South Carolina who said to him: "How do we beat the b--?" McCain replied: "That's an excellent question," although moments later, he said he had great respect for Clinton.
McCain Mentions Clinton 11 Times
In his address at the New Hampshire college, McCain mentioned Clinton by name 11 times. He said Clinton, supported by a Democratic Congress, would raise taxes, increase the size of government and fail to address the fiscal crisis of Medicare and Social Security.
A senior McCain official said McCain was targeting Clinton on specific policy differences because she should be engaged substantively instead of just with fiery rhetoric.
After the speech, in a question-and-answer session, a student from New York said he was impressed with Giuliani's executive leadership and toughness, then asked McCain whether he was tough enough to defeat Clinton in the general election. McCain turned the answer into an attack on Giuliani and his other rivals over past Iraq policy.
"I'm the only [one] that said that [the early Iraq] strategy was going to fail. I said that [Defense Secretary Donald] Rumsfeld had to go," he said. "None of these other people did, including Mayor Giuliani or anybody else, because they didn't have the experience and knowledge and background to know what course we had to steer and what strategy we had to employ in order to succeed in Iraq."
McCain has increasingly focused on Clinton by name as part of a strategy to portray himself as the strongest GOP candidate against her. Some recent polls show that he fares best against Clinton in a one-on-one matchup. Polls also show McCain trailing badly in Iowa among Republicans. Iowa holds its state caucus Jan. 3. McCain is running second or third in New Hampshire, according to the latest surveys. Romney leads in the Granite State.