Obama Condemns Baghdad Bombings That Killed More Than 130

A pair of car bomb attacks at Iraq's Ministry of Justice and a provincial government office in Baghdad claimed over 130 lives and injured at least 520, the BBC reported. The attack was the deadliest in the country since August, 2007 and comes as the U.S. is reducing its forces and has handed over security to the Iraqis.

"These bombings serve no purpose other than the murder of innocent men, women and children, and they only reveal the hateful and destructive agenda of those who would deny the Iraqi people the future that they deserve," President Obama said in a statement issued by the White House.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki blamed al Qaeda and supporters of former President Saddam Hussein and said they "want to cause chaos in the nation" and "hinder the political process."

Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on CBS' Face the Nation that the bombings should not prompt the U.S. to change its mind about withdrawing its forces from Iraq. He said the Iraqi government "srill has a ways to go" in ensuring security in the country, "but it's not going to require any delay in withdrawal of U.S. troops."

On NBC's Meet the Press, Republican Sen. Jon Cornyn of Texas said the bombings were "certainly a reminder that Iraq remains a fragile country and that the insurgents are going to test the Maliki government and the Iraqi government to see whether they have what it takes as they know we are drawing down out troops."

Appearing on the same program, Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer of New York said, "It also shows u how hard it is to do this (disengage from Iraq)...It shows you how hard this is going to be in Afghanistan."