McCain backs Obama Iraq pullout plan

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Senator John McCain, who battled Barack Obama hard on the campaign trail on the Iraq war, said Friday he supports President Obama's plans to remove U.S. combat forces from Iraq over 19 months.

"Overall it is a reasonable plan and one that can work and I support it," McCain told Reuters.

McCain, as a presidential candidate in the 2008 election, had argued that Obama was naive on national security and criticized his pledge to pull U.S. troops from Iraq within 16 months.

Asked about those remarks and his position today, McCain said: "Let me just remind you again, this is dramatically different, this is significantly different, this plan compared to his campaign pledge."

McCain was encouraged that Obama's plan will leave up to 50,000 troops remaining in Iraq after the 19-month pullout of other forces is complete. Those forces will train and equip Iraqi forces and conduct limited counterterrorism operations.

He was among congressional leaders briefed on the plan at the White House Thursday by top defence officials.

"The military commanders have said there is a moderate risk and so I think it can work," he said.

McCain said one factor that sold him on the plan was that there will be "very little drawdown between now and the national elections" that are scheduled in Iraq in December.