Since losing to Obama last November, McCain has been gentler in his criticisms. At times, he's seemed genuinely interested in helping the president, particularly on war policy. When Obama gave his West Point speech announcing a new Afghan strategy and calling for a surge of 30,000 troops, McCain was initially positive. He supported the president, and praised the surge. In 22 press interviews the following day, he had only one real caveat: he opposed Obama's decision to set a date of July 2011 to begin withdrawing soldiers from Afghanistan. Such a pronouncement only encouraged the enemy and discouraged America's allies in the region, he said. At a minimum, he hoped the president had set the date as a flexible target, not a "date certain."
