WASHINGTON -- A veterans group critical of the war in Iraq accuses John McCain of wanting to occupy Iraq indefinitely, against the wishes of the country's leaders, in an ad that will air later this week. The group, VoteVets.org, calls attention to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's desire for a troop withdrawal timetable. The group will spend $100,000 to run the ad on the MSNBC and CNN cable channels from Friday through the middle of next week. In the ad, Iraq war veteran Brandon Woods of New York says: "What did we fight for in Iraq? I have some idea. I fought in Operation Iraqi Freedom. And 'freedom' means when the Iraqi people and their Prime Minister ask us to make a plan to leave, we do. But Senator McCain would occupy Iraq indefinitely, against their wishes. That's not what freedom means. That's not what we fought for. Senator, I thought you would know better." Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama was in Baghdad earlier this week when Iraqi officials said they envisioned a U.S. combat troop withdrawal in 2010. That's generally the same 16-month timetable Obama has recommended. McCain has opposed a specific target date for pulling out troops. In an interview with CBS anchor Katie Couric on Tuesday, McCain said: "We've succeeded. And we will come home in victory. And it'll be based on conditions. But al-Qaida is not defeated. They're on the run, but they're not defeated. So we have to be prepared to continue to do what's necessary to succeed. ... But we have succeeded in the strategy. There's no doubt about it." A Republican party spokesman said Obama was putting politics before victory by supporting the surge and rejecting the advice of General David Petraeus, the overall commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. "Rather than attacking John McCain for listening to General Petraeus, this group should ask why Obama lacked the strength to stand up for our troops d | 
