But McCain predicted Thursday that at the end of his first term, the war would be won, Al Qaeda would be defeated and only a small contingent of American troops would remain in Iraq. The remarks set out the conditions he intends to achieve by the end of his first term, he said.
After the speech, McCain denied that he was setting a timetable, saying that the remarks were a promise that "we will succeed in Iraq," but not a commitment to withdraw troops if the war has not been won.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday, May 17, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 36 words Type of Material: Correction
Iraq war positions: In some editions, an article in Friday's Section A about the Iraq war positions of Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama misidentified House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) as House majority leader.
"I'm not putting a date on it," he said. "This is what I want to achieve."
With the general election campaign approaching, McCain faces the challenge of trying to overcome the popular impression -- reinforced in Democratic ads -- that he intends to keep the United States in Iraq for 100 years. McCain says the ads distort a comment he made that he would accept an American deployment in Iraq for 100 years if it followed the pattern of U.S. deployments in Korea or Germany, where there is no fighting.
Republican campaign aides point to poll numbers showing that many Americans are uneasy about leaving Iraq, and about the risk of strengthening violent extremists and the hand of Iran.
Yet poll numbers also show that even supporters of staying in Iraq don't necessarily want to stay long. One recent poll found that about 1 in 6 Americans who supported a continued Iraq military presence wanted to stay two years or longer.
"It's probably in McCain's interest to put that idea of a 100-year stay to bed," Rothenberg said. "Setting out some sort of time limit short of a century will probably do that."
But even his new prediction of substantial troop withdrawals by 2013 drew criticism Thursday from Democrats.
"Look at what Sen. McCain is saying: 'Four more years,' " said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco). "That's not what people usually mean in a presidential year when they say four more years."
Obama also has modified his positions as a presidential candidate, toughening his stand on normalizing relations with Cuba, for instance, by insisting on democratic reforms.
On Iraq, the senator from Illinois has made it a point in public comments to guard his prerogatives as president. At campaign stops and in interviews, he has regularly emphasized his promise to start bringing home troops as soon as he is elected, and to bring home one or two combat brigades each month, so that the approximately 19 combat brigades are out within 16 months.
