McCain Assails Clinton on Foreign Policy

WESTMINSTER, S.C. -- Republican John McCain is accusing Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton of indecisiveness and wanting "to have it both ways" on foreign policy, having voted for the Iraq war and now opposing it.

In prepared remarks, the GOP presidential candidate assails the Democratic front-runner and indirectly singles out former President Clinton. During his presidency, some advisers urged Clinton to make policy decisions by splitting the differences on opposing views, which became known as "triangulation."

The Associated Press obtained excerpts of McCain's remarks Tuesday from his campaign.

Later Tuesday, McCain said he had not yet seen the remarks. "But I will look at them very carefully," he said.

The Arizona senator was to deliver the speech Wednesday at a South Carolina military academy. Campaign spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan said while McCain had not seen the language in the speech about Hillary Clinton, he still plans to deliver the critique.

"The Democratic front-runner wants to have it both ways when it comes to foreign policy. On the one hand, the New York senator voted for the Iraq War. On the other hand, she now opposes it _ sort of," McCain says in the prepared remarks.

"On the one hand, she wants a firm deadline for retreat. But, on the other hand, she says we cannot abandon the nation to Iran's designs," the speech says.

It continues, "Senator Clinton, this is not the '90s. This is the post-September 11 world. The commander in chief does not enjoy the luxury to conduct our national security by means of triangulation."

The Clinton campaign said the two senators, both members of the Armed Services Committee, "have an honest disagreement on the war."

"Senator McCain is the Senate's biggest supporter of President Bush's escalation there. Senator Clinton wants to end the war and when she is president she will," Zac Wright, Clinton's South Carolina spokesman, said in an e-mailed statement.

McCain spoke Tuesday night to an electric cooperative in Westminster, saying the best way to make the U.S. more energy independent was to use nuclear power, rather than ethanol or other energy alternatives.

"I don't see how we reduce greenhouse gas emissions and I don't see how we really make progress on energy independence unless we go back to nuclear power," McCain told the crowd.