Washington (AP) - Republican Sen. John McCain said Wednesday that security gains in Iraq could be lost if the new administration pulls troops out too quickly, but he did not immediately dismiss the feasibility of President Barack Obama's 19-month timetable.
 
The administration was finalizing details this week on a plan that would withdraw most of the nation's 142,000 troops in Iraq by August 2010. The proposal would leave as many as 50,000 troops behind to advise and train Iraqi security forces and to protect U.S. interests.
 
McCain, who lost the presidency to Obama last year, suggested that the timeline _ three months longer than Obama's campaign pledge but shorter than some military officials have advised - was an attempt to find middle ground. He warned that while the plan might appease Americans wary of war, the public should keep in mind that casualties could continue.
 
"Let's also be realistic - advisers in any conflict are in harms' way," McCain told an audience at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.
 
In his speech, McCain outlined steps the U.S. should take to win the war in Afghanistan, including spending more to develop the country's infrastructure and end the drug trade. He also suggested that the U.S. create an international fund to finance the expansion of the Afghan army.
 
Since losing his White House bid, the Arizona senator has returned to Congress as the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee.