Wilkes-Barre, Penn.

After holding a private luncheon at the Westmoreland Club, John McCain addressed donors and went after Barack Obama for crafting his Iraq policy before traveling to the country:

“As you know, Senator Obama just took a trip to Afghanistan and Iraq; his first trip to Afghanistan, second in 900 days to Iraq. The first time he ever asked for a sit down with General Petraeus and received a briefing from him,” McCain continued, “First time ever and made his policy speech towards Iraq and Afghanistan before he left, before he left. I’ve been all around the world on congressional trips, usually at your expense, but I usually wait until I get there and learn something and then come back and make the policy speech so there’s a very great difference between myself and Senator Obama.”

McCain is urgently trying to peg his opponent as inexperienced while Obama is on his trip to Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Europe. The Republican nominee-in-waiting has been repeating attacks throughout the week on his rival’s initial rejection of the troop surge in Iraq and pressing that Obama would rather win an a political campaign than win a war. McCain also makes sure to often repeat that the presidency is not a place for “on the job training.”

However, the fundraiser was not all serious. McCain got some laughs while trying to get a bit more cash out of his supporters, making sure to tell them that although he won’t raise as much as his opponent he will stay competitive, “The good news is we now have enough money to run the entire campaign in Pennsylvania. The bad news is some of that money is still in your wallets and purses so please keep that in mind before you leave today. “

done

Pittsburgh, PA — Sen. Hillary Clinton slammed President Bush’s Iraq policy speech today and pledged to begin withdrawing troops at the start of her term regardless of the military situation on the ground in January 2009.

While the President and Sen. McCain both said they will follow the advice of General David Petraeus who called for a moratorium on troop withdrawals from Iraq during Congressional testimony this week, Clinton insisted that her Iraq policy will be directed from the Oval Office.

“Let me describe for you the way our system works. Policy is set by the civilian leadership, the President of the United States sets the policy. Our military, and thankfully so, carries out the policy that is set. You ask the military for their best advice about how to implement the policy that you have set,” she said during a media availability at Pittsburgh International Airport, where she reiterated that she will begin withdrawing troops within her first 60 days in office.

“We have a long history of President’s changing policy. I have been clear throughout this campaign that my assessment is there is not military solution and the testimony delivered this week in the Congress by General Petraeus and Ambassador (Ryan) Crocker reinforced the assessment that I had made,” she said. “The surge was given a stated rationale that has not been fulfilled. We have given the Iraqis years of our blood and treasure for them to take responsibility for their own country.”

She added that, “an orderly responsible withdrawal that is clearly communicated to the Iraqis…will concentrate their attention far better than a blank check with indefinite timetables from this administration.”

Kansas City, MO — Expect General Petraeus to discuss increasing Iranian ties to violence in Iraq as well as the state of affairs in Basra this week, McCain told the press corps aboard his plane Sunday.

“I think you’re going to hear more about the Iranian influence, the arms they’ve provided, the money, the training, particularly the extent of their influence in Southern Iraq. It’s pretty extensive and I think he’s going to be talking about that,” McCain said en route to Kansas City, where he is preparing to deliver an address on the war Monday.

The presumptive GOP nominee said he has not spoken with Petraeus about his testimony but said of Iran: “I hope that we can present the facts this time and they would be irrefutable, and they would be based on concrete evidence.”

McCain said the Iranians are “stepping up some of their efforts” because they are worried about an effective Iraqi government taking control, adding that some of the evidence he is seeing of increasing Iranian military involvement are not “Curveball’s allegations.” ((Curveball was the infamous Iraqi CIA informant whose stories about Iraqi WMD development in the leadup to the war turned out to be false.))

Queried whether his Iran talk is part of a drumbeat for war, McCain retorted that “because I’m worried about Iranian influence doesn’t mean that I’m ready to go to war with Iran.”

Petraeus is set to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday.