UNITED STATES:REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL candidate John McCain has accused Barack Obama of attempting to "legislate failure" in Iraq by opposing last year's increase in US troops there, adding that the Democrat's political ambition had blinded him to the reality of the war.
Addressing the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Orlando yesterday, Mr McCain said that the Democratic candidate should admit he was wrong to oppose the military surge and acknowledge that the change in US strategy had succeeded.
"With less than three months to go before the election, a lot of people are still trying to square Senator Obama's varying positions on the surge in Iraq," Mr McCain said. "First, he opposed the surge and confidently predicted that it would fail. Then he tried to prevent funding for the troops who carried out the surge.
"Not content to merely predict failure in Iraq, my opponent tried to legislate failure."
Mr Obama's campaign dismissed the criticism, claiming that Mr McCain appeared determined to ignore calls by Iraqi leaders for a US withdrawal.
"John McCain is intent on spending $10 billion a month on an open-ended war, while Barack Obama thinks we should bring this war to a responsible end and invest in our pressing needs here at home," said Democrat spokesman Bill Burton.
Yesterday's exchange over Iraq came as the US presidential election enters three crucial weeks, during which both parties will hold their nominating conventions and the candidates will choose their vice-presidential running mates.
Mr Obama is expected to announce his running mate later this week, although his campaign has indicated that the announcement could come as late as the weekend. Democrats hold their convention in Denver next week.
Mr McCain is expected to reveal his vice-presidential choice late next week, before the start of the Republican convention in St Pal on September 1st.
Mr McCain is planning a rally for 10,000 people in Dayton, Ohio, on August 29th, a day after the end of the Democratic convention, fuelling speculation that he will introduce his running mate that day in an effort to dampen the excitement generated by Mr Obama's formal nomination.
Mr Obama has offered few hints about the identity of his running mate but speculation has focused on a handful of experienced political figures, led by Delaware senator Joe Biden and Indiana senator Evan Bayh.
Mr Biden, who chairs the senate foreign relations committee, could add national security weight to the Democratic ticket and Mr Bayh could help Mr Obama to win Indiana, a state won by President George Bush in 2004 that Democrats are targeting in November.
Other names talked about by Democrats include Virginia governor Tim Kaine, Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius, Connecticut senator Chris Dodd, Rhode Island senator Jack Reed and former Georgia senator Sam Nunn.
The most dramatic choice would be Mr Obama's former rival for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton, although the sometimes bitter tone of the primary campaign and questions about the role of former president Bill Clinton could make that option unacceptable to the Obama campaign.
The presidential race has narrowed in recent weeks, with Mr Obama leading Mr McCain by about three points in an average of national polls and the two candidates effectively tied in a number of key battleground states.
Mr McCain's supporters, some of whom admitted privately earlier this summer that the Republican's chances of victory in November are slim, are increasingly confident that the election will be competitive.
Mr McCain fared better than Mr Obama in a forum on politics and faith in California last weekend and his campaign believes that the crisis in Georgia could help to persuade voters that the Republican's foreign affairs experience makes him the best choice for the White House.