Obama and McCain present conflicting views on Iraq

Seattle News.Net
Monday 6th October, 2008

Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain have presented conflicting visions of how they plan to shrink American military presence in Iraq.

According to a New York Times report, Barack Obama, reacting to General Petraeus's demand for "maximum flexibility" in setting withdrawal schedules, said he "pushed back" when he met with the commander in July by making the case for sending more forces to Afghanistan, which the Democratic candidate views as the main battleground against terrorists.

McCain, who argued that a favorable outcome in Iraq is vital for American strategy in the Middle East and its overall efforts against terrorists, repeatedly invoked General Petraeus's counter-insurgency strategy and said he would be inclined to give General Petraeus considerable latitude in setting force levels in Iraq.

At the heart of the dispute is Obama's 16-month schedule for withdrawing American combat brigades, a timetable that is about twice as fast as that provided for in a draft American and Iraqi accord.

On the surface, the two candidates' views on troop cuts appear to have converged: each candidate envisions reductions in American force over his first term, as does the Iraqi government. But the similarities vanish upon closer inspection.

Obama's views on troop cuts were forged in late 2006 as Iraq appeared to be approaching a full-scale civil war. Drawing on the bipartisan Iraq Study Group report, he opposed Bush's troop reinforcement plan and sponsored legislation in January 2007 that would have removed all American combat brigades by the end of March 2008, while allowing a small force to remain for training, counter-terrorism and the protection of American Embassy and personnel.

Mr. Obama has said he would remove the remaining combat brigades at the rate of one or two a month over a 16-month period.

He has argued that it is important to set a new course that would put pressure on the Iraqis to overcome their differences, free up more American forces for Afghanistan and other potential trouble spots, and reduce expenditures so they could finance programs at home.

McCain has argued that reductions should be determined by political and military circumstances, a stance taken by Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Asked to clarify his views, Mr. McCain said that he envisioned "the withdrawal of U.S. troops over time."

He said the question of whether there should be a long-term American military presence in Iraq for training or other purposes should be resolved in discussions with the Iraqis, and cited Kuwait as a possible model.

Have your say on this story