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Sen. Barack Obama’s (Ill.) campaign said Saturday that GOP rival Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) has adopted some of the Democratic presidential candidate’s foreign policy positions. A campaign memo sent to reporters asserted that McCain has switched his positions on two key issues this week -- negotiations with Iran and the need for additional troops in Afghanistan. “On both issues, Obama took stands that weren't politically popular at the time — opposing the war in Iraq as a diversion from the critical mission in Afghanistan, and standing up for direct diplomacy with Iran — while John McCain lined up with George Bush. Time has proven Obama’s judgment right and McCain wrong,” reads the memo. The Illinois Democrat arrived in Afghanistan Saturday to kick off a weeklong trip to various stops around Europe and the Middle East, including Iraq. McCain’s campaign has called on the Democratic senator to visit the country to see the security gains made in Iraq following last year’s troop surge, which Obama had opposed. The GOP standard-bearer discussed Afghanistan in his weekly radio address Saturday and noted that U.S. commanders have said they need three additional brigades of American troops there. “I will ensure our commanders in Afghanistan get the troops they need by asking NATO to send more and by sending U.S. troops as they become available,” said McCain. The Arizona Republican did not address Iran in his radio speech. McCain, however, has said he did not object to a State Department aide meeting with Iranian officials but he has also said that he would not meet with Iran’s leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In the radio address, McCain also criticized Obama for his position against the troop surge in Iraq and noted that the Illinois Democrat had removed some material from his website that reflected that viewpoint. “We all remember quite well that he said the surge would fail, and today we know that he was wrong,” said McCain. |
