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Obama sounds like him.
Posted on 09/12/2007 8:48:54 AM PDT by biscuit jane
By MIKE GLOVER
(AP) Iowa (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is calling for the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. combat brigades from Iraq, with the pullout being completed by the end of next year.
"Let me be clear: There is no military solution in Iraq and there never was," Obama said in excerpts of the speech provided to The Associated Press.
"The best way to protect our security and to pressure Iraq's leaders to resolve their civil war is to immediately begin to remove our combat troops. Not in six months or one year - now," the Illinois senator says.
Obama's ardent opposition to the war has been a central theme of his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, and he has used it to distinguish himself from leading rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. She voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq; Obama was not yet a senator.
Obama was trying to further sharpen that distinction Wednesday, spelling out his views on what the U.S. should do next.
He introduced legislation last January calling for withdrawal to start on May 1 and for all combat brigades to be pulled out by March 31, 2008.
Anti-war Democrats and some Republicans want to bring all combat troops home in a matter of months.
In a letter to Bush on Wednesday, Clinton urged him to bring troops home faster and not to use his prime-time speech Thursday to declare new successes in Iraq.
"What you are planning to tell the American people tomorrow night is that one year from now there will be the same number of troops in Iraq as there were one year ago. Mr. President, that is simply too little too late," Clinton wrote.
In criticizing the administration's current strategy, Clinton also linked the president's anticipated speech to the one he gave more than four years ago on an aircraft carrier under a banner that read "Mission accomplished."
"Do not repeat that mistake on Thursday night," Clinton said. "Do not misrepresent the facts about the situation on the ground ... Be candid with the American people."
Obama's speech comes a day after Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker updated Congress on the situation in the war zone during two days of testimony on Capitol Hill.
Petraeus recommended that a 2,000-member Marine unit come home this month and not be replaced. That would be followed in mid-December by the departure of an Army brigade of 3,500 to 4,000 soldiers. An additional four combat brigades would be withdrawn by July 2008.
Obama said the U.S. and the Iraqi government should discuss how to go about withdrawing troops.
"We must get out strategically and carefully, removing troops from secure areas first and keeping troops in more volatile areas until later," Obama said in prepared remarks. Key excerpts were obtained by The Associated Press.
Although he stopped short of calling for an immediate pullout of all troops, Obama said there should be a clear and certain timetable.
"But our drawdown should proceed at a steady pace of one or two brigades each month," he said. "If we start now, all of our combat brigades should be out of Iraq by the end of next year."
By arguing that only combat brigades should be withdrawn - there are 20 in Iraq, including five President Bush sent January - Obama appeared to suggest that other U.S. troops could remain.
Underscoring the importance he was putting on the speech, Obama was being introduced by Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was national security adviser to President Carter from 1977 to 1981. Brzezinski has endorsed Obama's bid, and Wednesday's appearance would be his first on the candidate's behalf.
Obama rejected Petraeus' recommendation to maintain current troop levels through next summer to ensure security gains are maintained.
"The president would have us believe there are two choices: keep all of our troops in Iraq or abandon these Iraqis," Obama said. "I reject this choice."
Instead, he argued for creating an international working group of countries in the region and in Asia and Europe that would work to stabilize Iraq.
Obama called for increasing U.S. aid to $2 billion to support such an effort, to expand access to social services for Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries and to assure that Iraqis displaced inside their own country can find safe haven. He also wants a commission to monitor and hold accountable perpetrators of war crimes in Iraq.
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Associated Press Writer Devlin Barrett in Washington contributed to this report.
Also, since when is Obama a military strategist? Does that qualification manifest itself when one wins an election to the senate ?
We already know that Iran is poised to fill the void as soon as we leave. If they move in and take over they’ll control a large percentage of the world’s oil. Oil would be selling for $200 a barrel.
I hope my meaning won’t be lost or misconstrued
But I’ll repeat myself at the risk of being crude
There must be fifty ways to leave George Bush’s war.
Fifty ways to leave this war.
You just slip out the back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You don’t need to be coy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Hop on the bus, Gus
You don’t need to discuss much
Just drop off the key, Lee
And get yourself free
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
He is and will always be an idiot. He needs to grow up and be around real men. He need to enlist...
These people are arrogant and dangerously naive (Clintont the former, Obama the latter). How DARE she pen a letter to the President telling him how to address the American public? And as for Obama, using Jimmy Carter’s former ‘anything’ should be blasting a message of ineptitude loud and clear.
Obama appeared to suggest that other U.S. troops could remain.
How nuanced! ‘Bring them home now’ applies to the ‘combat troops’!
Other than Ron Paul, Dennis the Menace, or Bill Richardson, all the presidental candidates are for ‘residual forces in the region’ for an extended period of time.
Let’s be clear, NO!
President Bush has made it clear that the US will not lose on his watch, no matter mistakes of the past, and if the next President wants defeat they can do it without congressional input.
Typical $hit-for-brains politician who thinks he knows more than a general who’s been there. Obama, Biden, Hitlery et al aren’t worthy to shine General Petraeus’ boots.
I thought all Senators were Military Strategists. Biggest bunch of egotistical blowhards ever assembled.
Obama sounds like him.
This guy is clueless. Utterly clueless
Two things; the closest thing to “action” that Barry Obama has seen was when he got his ass kicked in the school yard for having Dumbo ears.
When Zbigniew Brzezinski is one of your advisors, it goes to show you that Obama represents just more pod from the same ole dem philosophy of surrender and appeasement.
Does his plan look like this?
Ditto all of the above. Arrogant, unworthy, dangerously naive...
And ya, pretty amusing to have the leading dem candidates
associated with Jimmy Carter in a news article... who cares about some has been no-body that worked for Jimmy decades ago... ?
“Obama was being introduced by Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was national security adviser to President Carter from 1977 to 1981. Brzezinski has endorsed Obama’s bid, and Wednesday’s appearance would be his first on the candidate’s behalf.”
That *&^%$ loser Brzezinski — some SECURITY advisor eh ?!
WOW Sampleman I am reading that book right now !
“Goodnight Saigon”.
Brzezinski back on the politscene an indicator that he is
angling for a cabinet post ?
Yes we need to immediately pull our troops out of Iraq and then invade Pakistan. God help us if this idiot gets elected.
I agree with Obama on this — we should withdraw from Iraq
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points to tagline
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