Statement from Rep. Emanuel on McCain's Iraq Comment

(Washington, DC) -- House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel released the following statement reacting to Senator John McCain's comments this morning on the Today Show that it is "not important" when American troops are able to come home from Iraq:

"When asked this morning about American troops coming home from Iraq, John McCain said 'that's not too important.' Senator McCain, to the men and women who are serving their second, third, or even fourth deployment in Iraq, and to their families, it is incredibly important.

"Once again, John McCain has displayed a fundamental misunderstanding about the situation in Iraq, our strained military, and American troops and their families. The truth is, with more than 160,000 American troops in Iraq with no plan from the Bush Administration for a timely exit, Al-Qaeda reconstituting on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, and the American military strained beyond all appropriate readiness, bringing American troops home from Iraq is incredibly important. With each passing day, the more John McCain talks about Iraq, the more the American people are reminded of how much we need change in Washington - not more of the same from Senator McCain."