McCain Steps in Some Obama

While making his pre-announcement announcement on Letterman last night, John McCain stepped into the same verbal minefield that got Barack Obama a couple of weeks ago:

WASHINGTON - Republican presidential contender John McCain (news, bio, voting record), a staunch backer of the Iraq war but critic of how President Bush has waged it, said U.S. lives had been "wasted" in the four-year-old conflict. Democrats demand the Arizona senator apologize for the comment as Sen. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) did when the Democratic White House hopeful recently made the same observation.

"Americans are very frustrated, and they have every right to be," McCain said Wednesday on CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman." "We've wasted a lot of our most precious treasure, which is American lives."

Oops. McCain issued a quick apology today:

"Last evening, I referred to American casualties in Iraq as 'wasted'," McCain said in a statement Thursday.

"I should have used the word 'sacrificed' as I have in the past. No one appreciates and honors more than I do the selfless patriotism of American servicemen and women in the Iraq War," said McCain, a decorated Vietnam war hero.

"As I have said many times, I believe we have made many mistakes in the prosecution of the war. With a new commanding general and a new strategy, we are now trying to correct those mistakes, and I believe we have a realistic chance to succeed," he said.

His statement added: "That does not change the fact, however, that we have made many mistakes in the past, and we have paid a grievous price for those mistakes in the lives of the men and women who have died to protect our interests in Iraq and defend the rest of us from the even greater threat we would face if we are defeated there."

Had Obama not said the same thing, I would expect this story to have some legs. However, it should quickly dissipate since the press isn't going to want to drag Obama down as they attempt to play "gotcha" with McCain.

McCain's refusal to appear at the CPAC conference this week is not sitting well with conservatives, especially after hearing that he booked a ballroom in the hotel to schmooze with conservatives privately, but without appearing publicly at their event where the media would take note (that was mentioned on the Mark Larson show out of San Diego today).

One prominent conservative and former colleague of McCain's wants nothing to do with him:

Former Sen. Rick Santorum has drawn at least one conclusion about the Republican presidential primary field: Anybody but John McCain.

The Pennsylvania Republican, who signed a contract Thursday as a Fox News contributor, said he has spoken with every GOP candidate – except the senator from Arizona – but it’s still too early for him to endorse.

“The only one I wouldn’t support is McCain,” Santorum said during an interview in his office at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, where he is a senior fellow.

“I don’t agree with him on hardly any issues,’’ Santorum said. “I don’t think he has the temperament and leadership ability to move the country in the right direction.”

And a new Time Magazine poll show Rudy pulling away. Not a great day for McCain.