McCain says Obama's judgment on Iraq "failed"

(Adding McCain quotes, background)

By Jeff Mason

DENVER, July 25 (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain slammed Democratic rival Barack Obama on Friday for poor judgment on the Iraq war, laying out in sharp terms his argument the Illinois senator should not be commander in chief.

McCain, a Vietnam War veteran, said if Obama had succeeded in his effort to prevent last year's boost in U.S. troop levels in Iraq, American forces would have had to retreat under fire, the Iraqi army would have collapsed and al Qaeda would have found a safe haven.

"Had his position been adopted, we would have lost both wars" in Iraq and Afghanistan, McCain said in a speech to a veterans' group in Colorado.

"We rejected the audacity of hopelessness, and we were right," the Arizona senator added in a pointed reference to the title of Obama's second book, "The Audacity of Hope."

McCain, crystallizing his arguments over the Iraq war in his strongest language to date, warned that pursuit of Obama's plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq over the next 16 months while boosting forces in Afghanistan could have disastrous consequences.

"We face another choice today. We can withdraw when we have secured the peace and the gains we have sacrificed so much to achieve are safe," McCain said. "Or we can follow Senator Obama's unconditional withdrawal and risk losing the peace even if that results in spreading violence and a third Iraq war."

McCain has long criticized Obama's objection to last year's increase in U.S. troop levels in Iraq and his reluctance to acknowledge its success in bringing security to the country.

Obama has called for a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, saying it is needed to push the Iraqi government to make the tough choices to lay the groundwork for a U.S. pullout. McCain, like U.S. President George W. Bush, has opposed a fixed schedule, preferring to remain until Iraq is fully secure.

But Bush last week agreed with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that security gains made it possible to set a time horizon for achieving a U.S. troop withdrawal. Maliki later said 2010 was an appropriate goal for a U.S. withdrawal, similar to the date Obama has proposed.

'REAL-TIME TEST'

In his speech to the veterans' group, McCain portrayed his support for the "surge" in troops last year as a key test on who would be better to lead the U.S. military.

"Senator Obama and I ... faced a decision, which amounted to a real-time test for a future commander in chief," McCain said. "America passed that test. I believe my judgment passed that test. And I believe that Senator Obama's failed."

McCain accused the Illinois senator of trying to prevent the United States from implementing its military strategy through his votes in Congress, and -- using politically loaded language -- said Obama had predicted U.S. soldiers would fail.

"When his efforts failed, he continued to predict the failure of our troops," McCain said. "As our soldiers and Marines prepared to move into Baghdad neighborhoods and ... villages, Senator Obama predicted that their efforts would make the sectarian violence in Iraq worse - worse! - not better."

Because of memories about how poorly the returning Vietnam War veterans were treated 30 years ago, Americans who oppose the Iraq war are generally sensitive to suggestions they do not support the U.S. troops fighting there.

A spokesman for Obama rejected McCain's comments.

"Barack Obama and John McCain may differ over our strategy in Iraq, but they are united in their support for our brave troops and their desire to protect this nation," Bill Burton said in a statement.

"Senator McCain's constant suggestion otherwise is not worthy of the campaign he claimed he would run or the magnitude of the challenges this nation faces."

McCain had goaded Obama to visit Iraq and Afghanistan, which the Illinois senator made part of a high-profile trip abroad this week.

But the Republican criticized his rival for saying, despite his visit, that he maintained his opposition to the troop increase.

"In retrospect, given the opportunity to choose between failure and success, he chose failure," McCain said. "I cannot conceive of a commander in chief making that choice." (Editing by David Alexander and Peter Cooney)