First of all, it's telling that McCain has two categories for the bad guys in Iraq.  There's "al-Qaeda," which is really al-Qaeda in Iraq/Mesopotamia, which has no logistical ties to the fellas in Afghanistan and the Northwest Frontier Provinces of Pakistan.  Then, there are "extremists."  And that's it.  This taxonomy is acceptable if you're arguing politics after 5 beers or a joint.  Not so much for talking to the media about your signature issue in a trip designed to emphasize your command over said issue.

Then, of course, there's the gaffe.  AQI is not the Shia militias.

But surely we can dismiss this as innocent.  The campaign is no doubt arduous, and it's easy to make such slip-ups.

What screws him here is the bolded statement.  Why's that?  Well, Mosul is a predominantly Sunni area, mostly Arabs and Kurds.  Someone who's interested in basic Iraqi politics should know that the Shia militias - the Badr Brigade, the Mahdi Army, and Fadhila, don't have a serious presence in the city.  In fact, recent news has indicated that AQI have moved further North after alienating local leaders in Anbar.  

So I wonder, what happened in Mosul recently?  

Google news tells me in an article dated 3/17/08:

Further north, coalition forces conducted three coordinated operations in Mosul targeting associates of al Qaeda operating in the area. The ground forces detained nine suspected terrorists on site, including three wanted individuals with suspected connections to an al Qaeda senior leader.

Two of the suspects are believed to be involved in an al Qaeda-affiliated insurgent group in the region and the facilitation of suicide vests. Another allegedly is involved with a foreign terrorist leader in the city.

So the quote simply doesn't make sense if you substitute the Mahdi Army for AQ.  We were not fighting Sadr in Mosul.

The quote makes sense only if you substitute Muslims we don't like for Muslims we don't like.

This betrays serious ignorance over Iraqi politics.

In an ideal world, this sort of thing seriously hurts campaigns.

But we live a world dominated by Pumkinhead.