How do the candidates compare on getting the troops out?

 

Richardson

Clinton

Edwards

Obama

There are approximately 169,000 troops in Iraq. How many troops would you leave behind?

Zero

?

One brigade OR up to 90,000 support troops?1

?

If they won't answer, we can only estimate.

Zero

Up to 60,0002

One brigade OR up to 90,000 support troops?1

Up to 60,0003, 4

Will you remove all troops, or just combat? (Note: Less than half the troops in Iraq are combat forces)

All troops

Just combat troops6

Just combat troops7, 13

Just combat troops8

How long will they be there?

Zero years

Decades10, 13

Indefinite11, 13

Indefinite8, 13

Will you pledge all troops will be out by 2013?

Yes13

No13

No13

No13

How does leaving troops in Iraq end the war?

It won't end the war.

?

?

?

Last update: 12/18/2007

Citations

  1. "Dartmouth/MSNBC Presidential Debate." Transcript. MSNBC. September 26, 2007.  http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/26/us/politics/26DEBATE-TRANSCRIPT.html .  Edwards mentions leaving a single brigade of combat troops for an unknown period of time as well as removing combat troops, leaving possibly tens of thousands of troops behind.
  2. "If Elected... Clinton Says Some G.I.'s in Iraq Would Remain." By Michael R. Gordon and Patrick Healy. The New York Times. 15 March 2007.
  3. "Rapid Iraq pullout unlikely under Dems." By Jeff Zeleny and Marc Santora. The New York Times. 12 August 2007.
  4. "The Pragmatic Obama; He's Shaping the Debate on Foreign Policy." By David Ignatius. The Washington Post. 23 August 2007.
  5. "Ending the Iraq War Responsibly and Safely." Chris Dodd: President 2008. ChrisDodd.com. Available at: http://chrisdodd.com/issues/iraq on 20 September 2007.
  6. "If Elected... Clinton Says Some G.I.'s in Iraq Would Remain." By Michael R. Gordon and Patrick Healy. The New York Times. 15 March 2007.
  7. AARP Presidential Forum, 9/20/2007.  Available a: http://www.iptv.org/video/detail.cfm/634 on 24 Septemer 2007.
  8. "Plan to End the Iraq War." Barack Obama '08. BarackObama.com. Available at: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/ on 12 September 2007.
  9. "Ending Iraq War and Restoring America's World Leadership” Chris Dodd '08. ChrisDodd.com. Available at: http://chrisdodd.com/issues/iraq on 3 September 2007.
  10. "A Duty to Mislead: Politics and the Iraq War." By Ted Koppel. Transcript. All Things Considered. 11 June 2007.
  11. "John Edwards' Plan To End The War In Iraq." John Edwards '08. JohnEdwards.com. Available at: http://johnedwards.com/issues/iraq/ on 12 September 2007.
  12. "Plan to End the Iraq War." Barack Obama '08. BarackObama.com. Available at: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/ on 12 September 2007.
  13. "Dartmouth/MSNBC Presidential Debate." Transcript. MSNBC. September 26, 2007.  http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/26/us/politics/26DEBATE-TRANSCRIPT.html .