Candidates Seize Petraeus Moment

White House hopefuls flex rhetoric as general testifies
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 8, 2008 4:48 PM CDT
Candidates Seize Petraeus Moment
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Today’s Capitol Hill appearance by Gen. David Petraeus was a golden opportunity for the White House hopefuls to flex their Iraq rhetoric, the Los Angeles Times reports. Hillary Clinton called for a troop withdrawal; though she agreed the decisions weren’t “easy,” she said the Bush administration “often talks about the costs of leaving Iraq … while ignoring the greater costs of staying.”

John McCain waxed, “We're no longer staring into the abyss of defeat, and we can now look ahead to … success,” and “we should not choose to lose.” Barack Obama said terrorism in Iraq is the “direct result” of the US invasion—and that an end will only come “if we’re applying increased pressure in a measured way,” including a timetable for withdrawal. (More Hillary Clinton stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X