McCain says he misspoke in upbeat comments

NEW YORK -- Senator John McCain said in an interview to be broadcast tomorrow that he misspoke in his recent upbeat comments about security in Baghdad, where he traveled under heavy military protection.

The Arizona senator, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, maintains that progress has been made in the US-led war in Iraq, according to comments to be aired on CBS's "60 Minutes." Excerpts were released yesterday.

McCain said he regrets comments he made after a tour of Baghdad last Sunday, when he said he could see progress and the American people were not being told the "good news" about the war, according to the excerpts and a news release provided by "60 Minutes."

"Of course I am going to misspeak and I've done it on numerous occasions and I probably will do it in the future," said McCain, according to "60 Minutes.

The excerpted quotes provided by "60 Minutes" did not indicate which comments McCain thought were misspoken.

A strong supporter of President Bush's plan to send nearly 30,000 more troops into Iraq, McCain said last week after his tour: "I believe we have a new strategy that is making progress. That is not to say things are well everywhere in Iraq. Far from it -- we have a long way to go."