John McCain said Friday he thinks Barack Obama's proposed timetable for withdrawal in Iraq is on the right track, even though the Arizona senator spent the last week hammering Obama for his military plans.

Obama calls for a 16-month troop withdrawal timetable, something McCain called "politically expedient" during a forum in Denver, Colo., Friday.

But then in an interview with CNN, McCain had kind words.

"I think it's a pretty good timetable, as we should -- or horizons for withdrawal," he added, echoing a phrase President Bush used in recent days. "But they have to be based on conditions on the ground."

McCain has long maintained that conditions on the ground are a key consideration in any withdrawal of American troops. And he has argued that Obama would withdraw troops based on his timetable without regard to conditions in Iraq, although Obama says he would listen to U.S. military commanders about those conditions.

Obama, who is wrapping up his weeklong tour of the Middle East and Europe, said in London that "we are pleased to see that there has been some convergence around proposals that we've been making for a year-and-a-half."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.