Republicans quarrel over Iraq in White House race

By Tim Gaynor

FORT MYERS, Florida (Reuters) - The Iraq war reclaimed the spotlight in the Republican race for the White House on Saturday as front-runner John McCain accused rival Mitt Romney of backing a timetable to pull U.S. troops out -- a charge Romney angrily denied.

The testy exchange marked a change of focus to Iraq from the flagging U.S. economy just days before Tuesday's vote in the hotly contested Florida race, the next Republican battle in the state-by-state contests to pick nominees for the November 4 presidential election to succeed President George W. Bush.

The fireworks began when McCain accused the former Massachusetts governor and business executive of proposing a timetable to withdraw U.S. troops from the Iraq war, which McCain has long backed.

"Governor Romney wanted to set a date for withdrawal similar to what the Democrats are seeking, which would have led to a victory by al Qaeda in my view," McCain told a rally at a restaurant decked out with stars and stripes.

In April, Romney said President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki should have timetables and milestones for reducing the number of U.S. troops in Iraq but that those should not be made public.

In those comments, made to ABC News, he stopped short of seeking a specific date for withdrawing troops.

Romney demanded an apology from McCain, a 71-year-old four-term senator from Arizona and Vietnam War hero.

"To say that I have a specific date is simply wrong and is dishonest and he should apologize. That is not the case. I've never said that," Romney told reporters in Land O'Lakes, a Florida city of about 21,000 people.