New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson this morning ripped into the “McCain-Bush Way Forward in Iraq” saying:

“The leading advocate for escalating the war is Senator John McCain. I have served with John in Congress and I respect him. But John McCain is wrong, dead wrong to think that we can solve Iraq’s political crisis through military escalation.”

“There are no quick or easy answers to the crisis in Iraq. Our choices are between bad options and worse ones. Some prefer military escalation. Some choose staying the course. These options are illusions. The only realistic choice we have is to stand down militarily and let the Iraqis stand up and face the political crisis which only they can resolve.”

“The leading advocate for escalating the war is Senator John McCain.” It is hard to make it clearer. If / when Bush increases troop strength in Iraq, McCain’s chances for being President will go down the drain along with the country of Iraq.