McCain: Bin Laden Action Vindicates U.S. Strategy By Beverly Wang, AP

October 23, 2007
Article Excerpt

PELHAM – Republican presidential hopeful John McCain said yesterday that a new message from Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden scolding his followers in Iraq is proof that American efforts in that country are succeeding.

"Basically he encouraged the extreme elements --
Al-Qaida in Iraq particularly in the Sunni areas -- to join together and be more
effective in bringing terrorism and murder and suicide bombings to Iraq and to
Anbar province,"

McCain said.

"It's a clear sign that we are succeeding in Iraq because people got very
tired of Al-Qaida taking their young women, killing their young women, killing
their people, and acting in the most brutal fashion that they are."

In the audio tape played yesterday on Al-Jazeera television, bin Laden chastises some of his followers for lagging behind and making mistakes in Iraq, and for putting their personal allegiances ahead of their opposition to American forces.

Stopping for a quick meet-and-greet with voters gathered at a country store, McCain made his comments in response to an undecided voter's question about his strategy for Iraq -- whether he would follow President Bush's path and stay in the war, or reduce the number of American troops there.

McCain responded by saying he is the only Republican who criticized the conduct of the war under former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and that he believes troop escalation over the past year has been effective.

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