Presidential candidate John McCain took to South Carolina radio Monday with a 60-second campaign spot in which his strongest South Carolina supporter Sen. Lindsey Graham blasts Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for bailing on the Iraq War. And now, Reid is blasting back.

“While I understand that Senator McCain is doing everything he can to breathe life into his presidential campaign, these kinds of attacks – and his consistent support of a failed strategy that has kept our troops mired in an endless civil war – will only further undermine his credibility with voters,” Reid said in a statement.

“Democrats have given the troops a pay raise, increased funding for veterans and most importantly have fought to give our soldiers what they deserve – a strategy for success. We will continue to challenge Bush Republicans like Senator McCain who push a failed war strategy that makes us less secure at home and weakens us abroad.”

It’s not clear what about McCain’s advertisement Reid considers an “attack.” In April, Reid said:

“I believe myself that the secretary of state, secretary of defense and – you have to make your own decisions as to what the president knows – this war is lost and the surge is not accomplishing anything as indicated by the extreme violence in Iraq yesterday.” [MATTHEW HAY BROWN - Baltimore Sun]

It’s good to see that Reid and the Democrats are so quick to defend themselves. If only they would let our troops fighting in Iraq do the same.

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UPDATE: Bryan at Hot Air noted, “the worst thing you can do to a liberal is quote them accurately, and that’s what McCain did in a radio ad that he’s running in South Carolina” and added the infamous clip of Reid’s surrender:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niPmXym7u3g&eurl=http://hotair.com/archives/2007/12/18/harry-reid-slams-john-mccain-over-south-carolina-radio-ad/[/youtube]

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Photo: NY Times