Apr 10, 2007 11:57 pm US/Eastern
Obama Criticizes McCain For Iraqi Market Visit
WASHINGTON (AP) ―
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Sen. Barack Obama on David Letterman, April 9, 2008. (File)
CBS
Democrat Barack Obama on Tuesday challenged Republican White House rival John McCain for using a heavily guarded trip to a Baghdad market as evidence that Iraq's security is improving.
McCain and other members of a congressional delegation toured the Bab al-Sharqi market last week, traveling in armored military vehicles and wearing body armor during their hourlong excursion.
"The idea that the situation in Iraq is improving because it takes a security detail of 100 soldiers, three Black Hawk helicopters and a couple of Apache gunships to walk through a market in the middle of Baghdad is simply not credible and not reflective of the facts on the ground," Obama said in a taped interview that will air as part of a Democratic presidential forum sponsored by MoveOn.org.
Obama did not mention McCain by name, and the Republican candidate's campaign declined to respond. The Republican senator said Monday that he talked to many Iraqis in the market who told him that, while they still worried about a sniper, they felt as though things were getting better.
"That place is being rebuilt today and is a functioning market," McCain said in Arizona. "Of course it isn't entirely safe, but it certainly is a functioning market and progress is being made there."
The forum is the first "virtual" session in the presidential campaign. Seven Democratic candidates are scheduled to participate in the town hall that MoveOn.org planned to air online Tuesday night, with a simulcast on Air America radio.
Obama's campaign provided excerpts of his appearance to The Associated Press. He stressed that he opposed the Iraq invasion from the start "in part because I believed that if we gave open-ended authority to invade Iraq in 2002 that we would have open-ended occupation of the sort that we have right now."
"I have stated clearly and unequivocally that the open-ended occupation has to end," the Illinois senator said.
Participants in the forum were asked questions about Iraq chosen through more than 60,000 votes by the 3.2 million members of MoveOn.org. Afterward, members can vote on which candidates' positions they prefer, with the results to be announced Thursday.
Other participants include 2004 vice presidential nominee John Edwards; Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware, Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Chris Dodd of Connecticut; Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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