Does Mullen cancel out Maliki?

There’s little doubt that Prime Minister Maliki’s apparent backing for Obama’s withdrawal plan gave the Democrat a timely boost as he headed off on his world tour. It is far harder for the McCain campaign to portray Obama’s plan as irresponsible when the Iraqi PM says he agrees with it. But the McCain camp will take some comfort from Admiral Mullen’s appearance on TV this morning. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the consequences of withdrawing on a set timetable, Obama’s official position, could be “very dangerous”. (Video after the jump)
For all the buzz surrounding Obama’s speech in Berlin which will probably draw a huge crowd, the most crucial part of his tour is going to be the Iraq leg. If he navigates that successfully, then the tour could help him cut into McCain’s Commander in Chief advantage.