Diane Sawyer: Do you agree the situation in Afghanistan is precarious and urgent?
McCain: Well, I think it's very serious. I think it's a serious situation.
Sawyer: Not precarious and urgent?
McCain: Oh, I don't know exactly—run through the vocabulary. But it's a very serious situation. But there's a lot of things we need to do. We have a lot of work to do and I'm afraid that it's a very hard struggle, particularly given the situation on the Iraq/Pakistan border.

Good Morning America interview, after recent news that escalating insurgency and violent incidents had left around 2,500 people dead (over 700 of them civilians) since January of the same year in Afghanistan; 21 July 2008;

'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for Monday, July 21 - msnbc - Countdown with Keith Olbermann | NBC News[nbcnews.com]