McCain Removes Calls For More U.S. Troops In Iraq From Website

On Tuesday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) altered his campaign website to deemphasize his repeated calls for sending more troops to Iraq. The old version of McCain’s Iraq page argued that an increase of troops was a “crucial prerequisite for needed economic and political development in the country”:

A greater military commitment now is necessary if we are to achieve long-term success in Iraq. John McCain agrees with retired Army General Jack Keane that there are simply not enough American forces in Iraq. More troops are necessary to clear and hold insurgent strongholds; to provide security for rebuilding local institutions and economies; to halt sectarian violence in Baghdad and disarm Sunni and Shiite militias; to dismantle al Qaeda; to train the Iraqi Army; and to embed American personnel in Iraqi police units. Accomplishing each of these goals will require more troops and is a crucial prerequisite for needed economic and political development in the country.

On his new site, McCain deletes any reference to increasing troop levels and abandons the argument that a troop build up is “a crucial prerequisite” for progress. Instead, McCain focuses on the consequences of pulling out of Iraq:

John McCain believes it is strategically and morally essential for the United States to support the Government of Iraq to become capable of governing itself and safeguarding its people. He strongly disagrees with those who advocate withdrawing American troops before that has occurred.

Over at the Wonk Room, Adam Jentleson raises two questions about McCain’s change of heart:

First, does John McCain still think we need more troops in Iraq, as his website stated until earlier this week?

Second, since John McCain currently supports President Bush’s policy of arming certain Shiite and Sunni militias, has he changed his view that disarming Shi’ite and Sunni militias is a “critical prerequisite” for success, as his website stated as recently as Tuesday?