(Updated at 1:11 pm with Clinton campaign comment)
by Mark Silva
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- McCain, fighting for a victory in Florida's Republican primary election on Tuesday to bolster his victories coming out of New Hampshire and South Carolina, brought a South Carolina senator with him here today. Sen. Lindsey Graham, who said he had "been interpreting for John all through South Carolina,'' urged voters to remember one thing when they vote here.
"When you vote, you are voting for the commander-in-chief of a nation of war,'' said Graham, evoking the image of American troops at war. "The question is who is best able to walk in their shoes, understand their language and lead them to victory.’’
Things are going well in Iraq, McCain maintained, "and now, incredibly, incredibly, in the Democratic debate a couple of nights ago…. incredibly, incredibly Sen. Clinton decided that she wants to surrender, she wants to raise a white flag… We are succeeding, and she is committed to setting a date for withdrawl, for surrender… My friends, I will not let that happen.''
“I'll look forward to this debate with Sen. Clinton or Obama,'' McCain said. "I’ll look forward to this debate with Sen. Clinton about whether we have succeeded or not…''
Responding to McCain, Clinton campaign press spokesman Phil Singer said: "Senator McCain wants to continue the Bush Iraq policy and Senator Clinton wants to end it. It’s sad and unfortunate that he’s using loaded rhetoric instead of making a substantive argument."
Never, in the history of campaigns, he said, “has a candidate for president of the United States wanted to wave the white flag…. I’m not going to let that happen as president of the United States.''
McCain, also vowing as he has before to follow Osama bin Laden "the gates of hell'' if necessary, said "Al Qaeda is on the run.'' They are not defeated, he said, but if the U.S. "raises a white flag'' all the gains made to date will be for naught.
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/01/mccain_clinton_raising_the_whi.html