McCain brings Iraq war debate to Chicago

  

June 29, 2007 (WLS) -- On a day when five more American soldiers died in Iraq, presidential contender Senator John McCain brought the debate over the war to Chicago. During his visit, McCain repeated his position supporting the latest troop surge in Iraq but said he could change his mind.

Despite the mounting casualties, nearly 3,600 American soldiers as of Friday morning, and the growing public dissatisfaction with President Bush's handling of the war, Senator John McCain says the so-called surge ordered by the president is starting to work so it's premature to say the war is lost and bring the troops home. But McCain, who was a POW in Vietnam, says he re-evaluates his position everyday.

"We don't know whether this new strategy is on the path to success or not. I will certainly know and so will many others," said Senator John McCain, (R) presidential candidate.

The Republican presidential candidate and decorated military hero from Arizona was raising campaign cash in Chicago Friday, but on Monday, he will be traveling to Iraq to spend the Fourth of July with the troops in a show of support for a war that he still supports.

Despite the mounting casualties, including severely injured soldiers like Sgt. Eric Edmundson of North Carolina, who walked out of the Rehab Institute of Chicago with assistance Friday morning after a partial recovery from traumatic brain damage suffered in an explosion in Iraq nearly two years ago.

"I understand the sorrow, the anger, and the sacrifice that's been made in this conflict. As I said, we ought to give this strategy a chance for success," said McCain.

McCain's Senate colleague, Democrat Dick Durbin, says it is time for McCain to join the growing chorus of Republican leaders who have broken ranks with the president on the war effort.

"It's the only way to make Iraqis move to make the right decision for their own nation," Durbin said.

Former congressional candidate Tammy Duckworth, who now runs the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, lost both of her legs in Iraq and now her husband is in the Middle East on National Guard duty.

"I hope our policy makers are thinking like it's their family members, their son or daughter, that's being injured, and I hope that's what they keep in mind when they make their decision," said Duckworth.

McCain says the country owes a debt of gratitude to Duckworth, her husband and everyone who is serving in a combat zone.

"I would rather spend Fourth of July with the men and women serving in Iraq than any place else in the world," said McCain.

McCain spent five years in a POW camp in Vietnam where he sustained injuries that still bother him 35 years later. Tammy Duckworth has regained her mobility with the help of artificial legs and she is now working to expand programs and benefits for veterans in Illinois. She admires John McCain but she agrees with Senator Durbin that it is time to start bringing the troops home.

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