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Last update - 08:13 20/03/2008 Obama belittles McCain for confusing Shi'ite and Sunni extremists By Reuters Tags: Israel, Barack Obama  Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama belittled Republican rival John McCain on Wednesday for confusing Iraqi extremists, saying he "fails to understand" the war has emboldened U.S. enemies. On the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Democrats Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton both pledged to withdraw U.S. troop speedily from Iraq if either of them is elected in November, while McCain held firm to his position that a troop build-up was paying off and should be maintained. At the same time, Clinton responded to charges that she is overly secretive by allowing the release of more than 11,000 pages of her daily schedule from the 1993-2001 when she was U.S. first lady to President Bill Clinton. Advertisement The release was also intended to promote her argument that she gained valuable White House experience during her years as first lady. McCain, the 71-year-old Arizona senator who touts his national security experience as a main reason why he should be elected, gave Democrats a line of attack to use against him on Tuesday. On a Middle East and Europe swing, he got tangled up in Jordan on which Islamic extremist group in Iraq that Iran is accused of supporting. At a news conference, McCain said Iran has been supporting the Sunni group al Qaeda in Iraq, until he was corrected by a colleague. U.S. officials believe Iran has been backing Shi'ite extremists in Iraq, not a Sunni group like al Qaeda. It was the first stumble of note that McCain has made since clinching the Republican presidential nomination early this month. "Just yesterday, we heard Senator McCain confuse Sunni and Shi'ite, Iran and al Qaeda," Obama said. "Maybe that is why he voted to go to war with a country that had no al Qaeda ties. Maybe that is why he completely fails to understand that the war in Iraq has done more to embolden America's enemies than any strategic choice that we have made in decades," the Illinois senator said. He also mocked McCain's oft-stated to vow to follow Osama bin Laden to "the gates of hell" if elected, arguing the U.S. focus should have been on Afghanistan and Pakistan instead of Iraq. "We have a security gap when candidates say they will follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell but refuse to follow him where he actually goes," Obama said. On a visit to Detroit, Clinton reiterated her position that the United States could start withdrawing troops within 60 days of her taking office, and she said it was up to the Iraqis to take responsibility for their country's future. "We cannot win their civil war. There is no military solution," she said at a quickly arranged stop to push for a repeat of Michigan's presidential nominating contest, which had been disqualified because it violated party rules. McCain, who strongly supported President George W. Bush's troop increase a year ago, said in a statement the United States and its allies "stand on the precipice of winning a major victory against radical Islamic extremism." "The security gains over the past year have been dramatic and undeniable. And this time, he got the extremist identification correct. "Al Qaeda and Shi'ite extremists -- with support from external powers such as Iran -- are on the run but not defeated," he said. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Good Avraham Hunting An ex-security guard solves a problem that has baffled mathematicians for decades. A better place Some 2,400 African refugees have entered Israel via Egypt since January.   1.   What a moron! 08:14  |  Frank 20/03/08   2.   Rosner hides this stuff 08:15  |  Royce 20/03/08   3.   ha ha 08:19  |  kuala 20/03/08   4.   WELL, OBAMA IS A MUSLIM! HE SHOULD KNOW. 08:54  |  mira 20/03/08   5.   I like McCain but I worried about his company 09:09  |  pal 20/03/08   6.   ask BinLaden 09:10  |  J. Schaefer 20/03/08   7.   what about the priest wright, obama`s friend 09:20  |  mordekhaÎ 20/03/08   8.   How everybody jumps to belittle McCain! 09:36  |  S 20/03/08   9.   Got it righ the first time? 10:08  |  Abe 20/03/08   10.   McCain`s stumble. 10:14  |  sandra chitayat 20/03/08   11.   101 on Iran. There is Al Qaeda in Iran. They travel freeeeely! 11:08  |  Hort Horne 20/03/08   12.   Mira#4... DID YOU PRAY WITH OBAMA IN A MOSQUE? 11:13  |  TripleJump 20/03/08   13.   Obama is Ready to Lead the Whiners! 11:20  |  J. Adminore 20/03/08   14.   Sorry Obama, you`re just belittling yourself. 12:39  |  Buzaglow 20/03/08   15.   Obama not Osama Mira #4 13:06  |  Whitedog 20/03/08   16.   The man is a dangerous old fool! Just listen to his speeches,they 13:09  |  lakshmi 20/03/08   17.   Give me a break! 14:02  |  JD 20/03/08   18.   Hamas, Hizballa and Iran 14:17  |  Straight Talk 20/03/08   19.   # 4 Mira 14:22  |  Zbuster 20/03/08   20.   If an alien from outer space landed... 14:32  |  Mike 20/03/08   21.   "Obama and the Republican Party"! 16:19  |  Stephen. 20/03/08

Today Online Yesha rabbi: Jewish law forbids renting houses to Arabs Responses: 235 Palestinian Americans warned of security profiling at B-G Airport Responses: 190 Bin Laden tape: Iron and fire needed to liberate Palestine Responses: 102 Egypt agrees to take over as Gaza power supplier Responses: 108 Abe Foxman: Anti-Semitism is not just a Jewish problem Responses: 47 Rosner's Domain There's no need for American pressure on Israel Obama and the psychological complexities of American Jewry (WTR) Poll: Mideast summit in Moscow, a good idea? Was Shakespeare a Jewish Woman? (WTR) Rosner's Mailbox: Women in the pulpit? been there, done that More Headlines 01:11 14-year-old boy hurt in terror attack near Hebron 23:55 PM says worried Russian arms will reach Hezbollah 22:19 Bin Laden tape: Iron and fire needed to liberate Palestine 21:27 Jewish group seeks to purge YouTube of anti-Semitic videos 02:20 PA to launch welfare network in hopes of countering Hamas 21:27 Israeli ex-security guard solves 38-year-old math problem 00:52 In surprise move, Fischer to increase foreign currency reserves 18:59 Fatah delegates to leave Yemen without Hamas deal 18:20 Health Ministry to vaccinate health workers against measles 17:00 Some 2,400 African refugees have entered Israel this year 18:38 Abbas' sons sue Channel 1 for reporting they own cellphone company 19:40 Ariel teen seriously wounded by explosion in his house Previous Editions Select Day 20 mar 19 mar 18 mar 17 mar 16 mar 14 mar 13 mar 12 mar 11 mar 10 mar 09 mar 07 mar

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