Russert let McCain mislead on Clinton's Iraq withdrawal proposal

Summary: Tim Russert left unchallenged Sen. John McCain's false claim that Sen. Hillary Clinton "would set a timetable within 60 days of withdrawal, complete withdrawal from Iraq." In fact, Clinton said that if she were to become president, "[W]e will start withdrawing within 60 days," and would continue to withdraw "one to two brigades a month" with the goal of having "nearly all the troops out by the end of the year [2009]," except for those necessary to "protect our embassy" and other "strategic interests."

On the January 27 edition of NBC's Meet the Press, host Tim Russert left unchallenged Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) false claim that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) "would set a timetable within 60 days of withdrawal, complete withdrawal from Iraq." In fact, Clinton stated during the January 15 Democratic presidential debate, which Russert co-moderated, that if she were to become president, "[W]e will start withdrawing within 60 days," and would continue to withdraw "one to two brigades a month" with the goal of having "nearly all the troops out by the end of the year [2009]," except for those necessary to "protect our embassy" and other "strategic interests." Clinton made similar remarks to Russert during the January 13 edition of Meet the Press.

From the January 27 edition of NBC's Meet the Press:

RUSSERT: Senator Clinton, when she suggested timetables, you said was waving the white flag of surrender. Is Governor [Mitt] Romney [MA] waving the white flag?

McCAIN: Actually, Tim, what Senator Clinton said was that you would set a timetable within 60 days of withdrawal, complete withdrawal from Iraq. To me that's surrender. And I think in most people's view that would be surrender if we told Al Qaeda that we are leaving Iraq within a certain period of time.

RUSSERT: Is Governor Romney suggesting surrender?

—E.H.H.