Republican John McCain welcomed Democrat Barack Obama to the fall campaign for the White House on Tuesday with a blistering attack on his judgment and a charge that he "voted to deny funds to the soldiers who have done a brilliant job" in Iraq.
"Americans ought to be concerned about the judgment of a presidential candidate who says he's ready to talk, in person and without conditions, with tyrants from Havana to Pyongyang, but hasn't traveled to Iraq to meet with General (David) Petraeus, and see for himself the progress he threatens to reverse," McCain said as his rival wrapped up the Democratic nomination.
In a speech intended to mark the start of the general election, McCain also sought to deflect Obama's frequent claim that the Republican is "running for President Bush's third term" because of his support for the Iraq war and extending the president's tax cuts.
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