Washington, July 28: Republican presumptive presidential nominee Senator John McCain has accused his presumptive Democratic opponent Senator Barack Obama of playing politics with the Iraq war.

McCain told ABC Television in an interview that Obama is astutely choosing his positions in order to win a political campaign rather than do what is needed to win the war.

"Senator Obama doesn''t understand. He doesn''t understand what''s at stake here and he chose to take a political path that would have helped him get the nomination of his party," McCain said, adding that he was taking the path that he knew was unpopular because he knew that war in Iraq has to be won.

On NBC''s "Meet the Press," Obama said the troop surge in Iraq has worked but he still doesn''t think it was the right decision.

Both campaigns are taking stock of the political playing field. With the Beijing Olympics likely to absorb most attention in the middle of August, the window is narrowing to make much news before the national party conventions.

Obama will accept his party''s presidential nomination in Denver at the end of August, and McCain is to become the Republican nominee in St. Paul, Minnesota, in early September. (ANI)