McCain's Focus on Iraq War Carries Risk

McCain is quick to praise success in Iraq. But many voters say the war there should never have been fought, which was the position of his Democratic opponent, Sen. Barack Obama. (By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)
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Obama has said, as have military experts, that this narrative of the buildup is too simple, and that reduced violence in Iraq has causes in addition to the troop increase, such as the cease-fire of Shiite militias and the greater willingness of Sunni tribes to fight the group al-Qaeda in Iraq.

McCain advisers say they expect Iraq to figure in McCain's Thursday night acceptance speech and in the campaign beyond, though they did not specify how prominently. Mark Salter, McCain's confidant, said in a brief interview this week that the candidate's "prescient call" for a more effective counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq is "article No. 1" for McCain's judgment and courage.

"I suspect that's going to be brought up," Salter said. "It is sinking in with the American people"

Public attitudes about the war have been improving in recent months, with more than half of those polled saying they think significant progress is being made in Iraq, the highest level since December 2005, according to last month's Post-ABC poll. At the same time, there has been some erosion in Republican support for the war; the proportion of GOP voters who say the war was worth fighting has declined from 70 to 63 percent since January, the poll showed.

But in St. Paul, there is little outward sign of dissatisfaction with McCain's approach. "Among most of the grass-roots, the general consensus is we want to win with honor," said Kentucky delegate Richard Grana, president of a small export company in Paducah. "We don't want to have expended all those lives for nothing."

Richard N. Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former Bush administration official, said McCain should tread carefully in discussing the war.

"I think the Republicans, in particular, are saying that these are tough times and we need a tough president. McCain has been positioning himself in that place. My sense is that is easier to do because Iraq has improved," said Haass, who was also attending the convention. "But a growing number of Americans see involvement in the world as costly, and I believe that's because of Iraq. McCain and the Republicans have to be careful that the toughness will not lead Americans to think we will have four more years of costly foreign policy."

Assistant polling director Jennifer Agiesta and staff researcher Madonna Lebling in Washington contributed to this report.