"The problem that we've had, both with John McCain and George Bush, is there's no clear definition of success. There never was. And that's why this has been such a profound strategic error," Obama, an Illinois senator, told reporters while campaigning in Pennsylvania.
"For him to argue that -- which he has repeatedly -- that any suggestion that we withdraw troops is surrender, that implies that, you know, we will be there as long as he thinks it's necessary for us to be there," he said.
"He is clinging to the policies of the past and we are already in the future," Obama told a rally in Allentown.
McCain, a military veteran and former prisoner of war in Vietnam, kicked off a weeklong tour in Mississippi highlighting his service and introducing his life story to U.S. voters.
McCain has criticized Obama and Clinton for proposing a quick U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq, saying that would embolden America's enemies and spread greater chaos in the Middle East.
Obama defended his frequent criticism of McCain for saying at a campaign event in January he would be willing to leave American troops in Iraq for 100 years.
McCain says the comment referred to a prolonged U.S. troop presence similar to the presence in Japan and South Korea, not a combat presence.
"We've been in South Korea for 50 years," said Obama. "That's something that the United States can't afford, and I think that's going to be a debate that we're going to have in the general election, should I be the nominee."
Obama and Clinton were both on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania, site of the next contest in their hard-fought battle. Clinton, who trails Obama in pledged delegates won in state-by-state contests, has rejected calls to step aside in the Democratic race.
Neither candidate is likely to have the 2,024 delegates needed to win the nomination after the contests end in early June, leaving the decision up to nearly 800 super-delegates -- elected officials and party insiders who are free to back any candidate. |
