Yesterday, I examined one of Barack Obama's two main attacks (so far) on John McCain -- the Arizona Senator's concession that he lacks particular expertise on economic issues. The problem for Obama is that he has no legitimate claim to possessing more economic expertise than McCain.

Obama's other talking point is that McCain has said the U.S. should remain in Iraq for 100 years if necessary. Obama knowingly misconstrues this statement to mean that McCain favors 100 years of fighting in Iraq, whereas McCain actually is referring to idea that, following the end of hostilities in Iraq, the U.S. will maintain a long-term military presence there, as it has done in countries like Germany and Japan.

Now we learn, via Ed Morrissey, that a key military adviser to Obama, General Tony McPeak, has said of Iraq, "We’ll be there a century, hopefully, if it works right." (Yes, this is the same McPeak who attacked Bill Clinton yesterday on the apparently false ground that Clinton had questioned Obama's patriotism). McPeak explicitly invoked our experience in Germany, Japan, and South Korea.

McPeak made his statement in 2003, and seemed to condition the idea of staying in Iraq for a century on "it work[ing] right." But this fact does not distinguish his comment from McCain's position. McCain has never advocated 100 years of combat. In fact, I have heard him say in blogger calls that he does not advocate fighting indefinitely in Iraq if it becomes clear that we cannot succeed there.

McCain anticipates that we will succeed, now that we've adopted the approach he long advocated, and substantial evidence supports his view. Once we succeed, McCain contemplates the possibility of a long-term presence of the kind we have maintained following other successes. This is just what McPeak contemplated, and it's entirely reasonable to believe that things might, and should, work out that way.

JOHN adds: For the record, here is the exact McCain quote, which has been knowingly misrepresented by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other leading Democrats:

MCCAIN: Maybe 100. We have been in Japan for 60 years. We have been in South Korea for 50 years or so. That would be fine with me as long as Americans...

QUESTION: So that is your...

MCCAIN: As long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed. Then it's fine with me.

To comment on this post, go here.