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ON THE TRAIL

July 22, 2008

The New York Times defended its decision not to publish an op-ed article as submitted by Republican John McCain about the Iraq war on grounds it customarily reviews such pieces with the author. McCain's presidential campaign sent the newspaper the op-ed on Friday. In it, the Arizona senator describes how the buildup of U.S. forces in Iraq has helped curb violence. He also chides Democrat Barack Obama for outlining his plan for Iraq before his current meetings with commanders and Iraqi leaders. In an e-mail to the campaign on Friday, David Shipley, a Times op-ed editor, said he could not accept the article in its current form. McCain's article would "have to lay out a clear plan for achieving victory - with troops levels, timetables and measures for compelling the Iraqis to cooperate," Shipley said. "And it would need to describe the senator's Afghanistan strategy, spelling out how it meshes with his Iraq plan." Yesterday, McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said McCain, "believes that victory in Iraq must be based on conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables. Unlike Barack Obama, that position will not change based on politics or the demands of The New York Times." In a statement, the Times called it "standard procedure" to go back and forth with an author on his or her submission. McCain's submission comes after the newspaper ran an op-ed written by Obama last Monday. The Illinois senator wrote that as president he would send at least two more combat brigades to Afghanistan as part of his plan to pull combat troops out of Iraq and focus on al-Qaida in Afghanistan. The Times said it has published at least seven of McCain's op-ed articles since 1996.

John McCain and Barack Obama will appear back to back at a forum on religious faith at a California megachurch shortly before they accept their parties' presidential nominations. The candidates will appear Aug. 16 at the 22,000-member Saddleback Church in Lake Forest. They'll be together briefly, then will answer questions separately in sessions moderated by the Rev. Rick Warren, the pastor of the church and the author of the bestselling book "The Purpose-Driven Life." The two-hour forum will occur a week before the Democratic National Convention in Denver and two weeks before the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.