UNNECESSARY & OUTRAGEOUS.
Nope. It's politically necessary and very smart, and he is actually correct.
The biggest problem with this administration's conduct of the war, and with this administration generally is that it has consistently failed to understand the politics of policy. Rove's understanding of electoral politics has been brilliant, but that's not all there is to politics, and Karen Hugh's policy politics were abysmal -- while she was still in the White House, as are Cheney's. Save your flames: I love Dick Cheney. I wish he were President. But politically this administration simply hasn't played the game well at all. Half of image is expectation. The Mission Accomplished spectacle was a huge mistake politically, especially combined with some of the remarks that could have been easily twisted into implying that the war was going to be easy.
If you want to argue that the Mission Accomplished spoke only to major combat operations, you're going to be talking to a wall: perception is everything in this game and to most of the people voting in November, Mission Accomplished means, "we're done, clear, and out of there." McCain has had his differences with this administration (at least with Rummy) over the war. It isn't an insult to the President (whom I also love) to highlight [some of] those differences.
Americans are tired of the Bush Administration, whether we like it or not. McCain's attempts to distance himself is necessary and smart. I wish Americans loved the President the way Republicans do. But they don't.
But true. W has been a serious disappointment to me. “Ineffective” is the word I'd use. He did very well in the days after September 11th, but not so well on anything else since.