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John McCain Town Hall Rochester, MI 05/07/08 TRANSCRIPT: QUESTIONER: "Senator, the Iraq War has gone on for five years, as we all know. It's estimated that the cost will be $3,000,000,000,000, as you like it, if we stay in Iraq for a hundred years, what do you estimate the cost will be?" [applause] JOHN MCCAIN: "Um, my statement was made at a town hall meeting, much like this one, only it was in New Hampshire and an individual asked me how long American troops would be in Iraq. And of course, what I was saying was after we succeed in Iraq, and by the way, we are succeeding in Iraq, at great cost [applause] and frustration. Those are facts on the ground but it's long and it's hard and it's tough and a great sacrifice has been made and it was mishandled for nearly for nearly four years. Badly mishandled. And we made great sacrifice. So, after the war we may have a security arrangement with Iraq like we have with the government of South Korea. After the Korean war ended, we had a security arrangment which served to buffer, I think important, having an American military there to prevent further aggression from North Korea. We have a security arrangement with Kuwait, we have a base there. We have, um, troops in Germany, we've had troops in Japan. We've had troops all over the world. My point is that it's American casualties, it's American casualties and as the Iraqi military takes on more and more of the responsibilities and Americans withdraw, then I'll bring 'em home, I'll bring 'em home but I'll bring 'em home with honor and I won't bring 'em home in defeat. [applause] And this'll be a great debate. This'll be a great debate in this presidential campaign and if you want to surrender, if you want to set a date for withdrawal and surrender, the way that Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton want to do, that'll be a decision that the American people will make. And my friends, I said a year ago. I said I'd rather lose a political campaign than lose a war. We've got a great general and we've got a s- a strategy that's succeeding in and I will and I will find it far, far more important. Far. Far more important in the future security of this country than my political ambitions and I will not set a date for surrender." [applause] LABEL: JM MI 5-7 (EW#8) CHIPR -- Clip J To download a high res version of this clip, VISIT: https://issuealliance.box.net/shared/mdn xfpuoko To download the full campaign event, VISIT: https://issuealliance.box.net/shared/vs6 58g3s4g