McCain + 100 years in Iraq comments + President Bush’s approval rating = Democratic Victory

That is the equation MoveOn.org is hoping will work out for them this fall and they are planning to spend $1 million in May alone to hammer that message home. The liberal advocacy group is launching it’s newest ad, “Candles,” in Iowa and New Mexico tomorrow as part of the effort–on the fifth anniversary of President Bush’s now infamous “Mission Accomplished” speech. The spot, above, comes on the heels of a new DNC ad which also hits on McCain’s 100 years in Iraq comments.

“Voters need to know Senator McCain would continue President Bush’s failed policies - in Iraq and elsewhere. A vote for him is basically a vote for a third Bush term.” said MoveOn Executive Director Eli Pariser.

The RNC quickly responded this morning, blasting the group and calling on Barack Obama to denounce the group.

“MoveOn.org is attempting to smear Senator McCain just like it smeared General Petraeus. MoveOn.org is joining Barack Obama and the DNC in maliciously misquoting John McCain,” RNC spokesman Alex Conant said. “At nearly every event, Obama bemoans the ‘negative tone’ of politics, even while groups that support him are now running negative ads. Now, Obama should prove his rhetoric is more than ‘just words’ and stand up to MoveOn.org.”

UPDATE—Pariser responds to the RNC: “Senator John McCain’s position on Iraq has been clear-he intends to keep our troops there for decades. This is not a one-time gaffe. It is the truth about John McCain’s and George Bush’s reckless foreign policy.”

Rocky River, OH — Continuing to take heat from Democrats for saying last month that “he would be fine” if the U.S. remained in Iraq for 100 years or longer, Sen. John McCain tried again Monday to clarify his statement.

“My friends, the war will be over soon. The war for all intents and purposes, although the insurgency will go on for years and years and years. But it’ll be handled by the Iraqis not by us. And then we decide what kind of security arrangement we want to have with the Iraqis,” McCain told a town hall meeting in the Buckeye State this morning.

His latest remarks come in response to repeated attempts by Sen. Barack Obama and other Democrats to argue that McCain supports maintaining troops for a 100 year war in Iraq. Instead, McCain has repeatedly said on the trail during the past few weeks that he is talking about a long-term post-war military presence similar to the ones the U.S. has with South Korea, Japan and Germany–where the U.S. has maintained troops for more than 50 years.

• See his 100 years remarks (here)
• He also discussed a 1,000-10,000 year commitment in a January CBS News interview (here)

“You might know that we have major base in Kuwait because the first the gulf war, after we won, we had a base arrangement with the Kuwaitis. In Korea we’ve had as you know, ever since the Korean war we’ve had a military presence in South Korea,” McCain said. “So my Democrat friends like to distort that comment, but the fact is that…every single day (the situation) is improving and we take American young men and women out of harms way.”

McCain’s remarks also come as a group of anti-Iraq war orgs (MoveOn.org, Americans United for Change, and VoteVets.org) announced plans on a conference call today for a multi-million dollar ad campaign to target McCain.

“From now through the election, every second we get we will continue to hold him accountable for his failed policies,” said VoteVets.org Chairman Jon Soltz.

The groups have launched a new ad featuring a female Iraq veteran, Rose Forrest, holding her infant son and asking whether McCain if he is making a similar “commitment” to her child. (script after jump)

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