Howard Dean defended Democratic Party ads suggesting John McCain wants to leave troops in Iraq for 100 years, telling "FOX News Sunday" that it is not a distortion to say that the presumptive Republican nominee has no plan for getting out of Iraq.

The Democratic National Committee is airing two ads about McCain that take partial quotes of the candidate to call him out of touch on the economy and foreign policy.One ad shows McCain saying he thinks Americans are "better off overall" than they were eight years ago. The clip leaves out McCain saying that he understands the American people are hurting. Another ad shows McCain at a rally saying that U.S. troops in Iraq for 100 years is "fine with me." The ad does not include the rest of the sentence in which McCain added, "as long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed."

"Anybody who thinks that we can keep our troops in Iraq for 100 years without them being victimized by roadside bombs, suicide bombers and militias I think is wrong and needs ... to look carefully at their judgment," the DNC chairman said. "Americans don't want our troops in Iraq for 100 years, no matter what they're doing over there.  We can't afford that. We need the money here at home for our jobs."

As for the economic ad, Dean attacked President Bush's tax cuts and said McCain would be four more years of the same.

Dean also denounced some ads being run by Republicans that link Rev. Jeremiah Wright to Barack Obama and then call local and statewide Democratic candidates too extreme because of their support for Obama.

"I think when you start bringing up candidates that have nothing to do with the issue -- when you start bringing up things that have nothing to do with the candidate and nothing to do with the issues, that's race baiting," Dean said.

Though Obama last week told "FOX News Sunday" that Wright's statements are a legitimate political issue, Dean said he disagrees.

"He can say whatever he wants.  I'm going to say whatever I want.  I'm not getting into Reverend Wright.  He's caused enough trouble for our country over the last several weeks," Dean said.

Dean also said it was right at the time for Democrats to follow John Edwards' lead last year when he decided not to participate in a Democratic debate on FOX News. Clinton and Obama followed suit, forcing the debate to be canceled. He added that now is the right time for Democrats to return to the network to reach out to all Americans.

"I think it was the right thing to do, because there are some things in the news department that have really been shockingly biased, and I think that's wrong.  And I'll just say so right up front. But it is important also for us not -- we shouldn't punish the viewers of FOX by staying away," he said.

FOX News' Caroline Shively contributed to this report.