Pullen claims Americans support staying in Iraq

Arizona Republican Party Chairman Randy PullenArizona Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen today tried to draw a parallel between former Sen. George McGovern, who was demolished by Richard Nixon in the 1972 presidential race, and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who, after a landslide victory in North Carolina and narrow loss to Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in Indiana is looking more and more certain to be the Democratic nominee for president.

"McGovern ran as the darling of the left, anti-war candidate, in 1972 and it appears Senator Obama will be the candidate of the same mold this year," said Pullen in a press release.

McGovern, who had supported Clinton, has now become an Obama backer and called for the New York senator to end her White House bid.

Pullen also derided MoveOn.org's endorsement of Obama as evidence that he is "listening, representing and looking out [for] the far left."

Surprisingly, though, Pullen also claimed that Obama's proposal to withdraw combat forces from Iraq was at odds with the prevailing sentiment in the country.

"The American people have expressed a desire for a victorious and responsible end to the conflict in Iraq," said Pullen. "Senator Obama's cut and run strategy as dictated to him by MoveOn.org is irresponsible."

However, polls of Americans' views on the war have proven far more in line with Obama's vision than Sen. John McCain's. In fact, a Gallup poll conducted in February indicates that Americans favor withdrawal, regardless of the circumstances on the ground, by a nearly 2-1 margin, and that 60% of respondents wanted either an immediate withdrawal or a gradual withdrawal on a timetable, leaving troops in Iraq to protect the U.S. embassy, train Iraq's military and police and combat al Qaeda. Barack Obama has stated he would see all forces out of Iraq within 16 months, except for those assigned to one of the afforementioned duties.