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Kennebunkport: Republican John McCain worked on Monday to wrestle the spotlight from rival Barack Obama's tour of Iraq by insisting he was right about the war and releasing a new critical ad blaming higher gas prices on his opponent.
As Obama toured the war zones trailed by US network TV anchors, McCain ridiculed him from afar during a visit with the first President George Bush at his summer home on the Atlantic.
At the same time, the Republican contender released an eyebrow-raising new ad flatly blaming the Illinois senator for higher gasoline prices.
The Republican and Democratic presidential contenders have differed sharply over Iraq. Obama has said he would withdraw US troops reinforcing the US effort against Al Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
However, McCain told reporters, that any withdrawal of troops from Iraq "must be based on conditions on the ground".
Stewart Iverson, chairman of Iowa's Republican Party, said he hopes voters will conclude from Obama's overseas visit that "one trip doesn't make you an expert in foreign policy."
Iverson predicted the foreign trip may provide "a bump for a little bit for Obama." But as for a lasting impact on McCain, he said, "I don't think it's going to hurt him."
In a TV ad on national cable and in 11 states, McCain pushed his support for offshore drilling as the remedy for rising gas prices.
And even though McCain opposes drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, his ad clearly tries to blame rising prices on support for the moratorium by Obama.
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