Where Do They Stand?
Hillary Clinton | John Edwards | Barack Obama
Hillary Clinton on 2013
Click here for a downloadable PDF.
"I will begin to bring our troops home as soon as I am president, because it is abundantly clear that President Bush does not intend to end the war."
-- Hillary Clinton, 10/30/07
Bill Richardson is the only major candidate who will not only begin to bring our troops home, he will finish by getting ALL of our troops out of Iraq -- and has pledged to do so by the end of his first year in office -- in 2009.
CLINTON RECORD
Refuses to Pledge to Get Our Troops Out by 2013, the End Of Her First Term
RUSSERT: Senator Clinton, Democrats all across the country believed in 2006, when the Democrats were elected to the majority in the House and Senate, that that was a signal to end the war, and the war would end.
You have said that will not pledge to have all troops out by the end of your first term, 2013. Why not?
CLINTON: Well, Tim, it is my goal to have all troops out by the end of my first term. But I agree with Barack. It is very difficult to know what we're going to be inheriting. You know, we do not know, walking into the White House in January 2009, what we're going to find. What is the state of planning for withdrawal?
-- From 9/26 DNC Debate at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Clinton: up to 60,000 Troops?
Clinton has stated that, "she would keep a reduced military force there to fight Al Qaeda, deter Iranian aggression, protect the Kurds and possibly support the Iraqi military."
-- From: "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.
The kind of residual force Clinton describes is similar to that elaborated upon in reports by the Center for American Progress, and the Center for a New American Security, both that describe a residual force of 60,000 or so troops.
-- "Strategic Redeployment 2.0: A Progressive Strategy for Iraq." The Center for American Progress. By Lawrence Korb and Brian Katulis. May 2006.
-- "Phased Transition: A Responsible Way Forward Out of Iraq." Center for a New Ameican Security. By James N. Miller and Shawn W. Brimley. June 2007.
Additionally, Senator Clinton voted on September 21st in support of the Levin Amendment 2898 that Senator Levin himself estimates, if enacted would only, "cut troop levels in Iraq by more than half."
-- From: "Senate Blocks Bill on Iraq Combat Tours." By Anne Flaherty. Associated Press. 19 September 2007.
John Edwards on 2013
Click here for a downloadable PDF.
The other candidates want you to believe there are no differences on the issue of Iraq ... "All of us do want to end this war."
-- John Edwards, CNN/YouTube Debate, 7/23/07
There are differences. Bill Richardson is the only major candidate who has pledged to get all of our troops out of Iraq by the end of his first year in office -- in 2009.
EDWARDS RECORD
Refuses to Pledge to Get Our Troops Out by 2013, the End Of His First Term
RUSSERT: "Senator Edwards, will you commit that at the end of your first term, in 2013, all U.S. troops will be out of Iraq?"
EDWARDS: "I cannot make that commitment."
-- From 9/26 DNC Debate at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Refuses to Pledge to Get Our Troops Out by 2010, the End of First Year In Office
WOODRUFF: on January the 20th, 2010, one year after you take office, should you be elected, what would be the size of the U.S. military presence in Iraq?
EDWARDS: It’s also -- it's also impossible to say because we don't know what the circumstances will be at the time …"
-- From 9/20 AARP Forum in Davenport, Iowa.
Tries to differentiate plan, but would still continue war in Iraq
When trying to contrast with Senator Clinton’s plan to continue ‘combat missions’ in Iraq, Edwards describes his plan to engage in ‘combat expeditions’. This attempt to change language is not missed for what it is: a plan to continue the war in Iraq by changing the mission, not ending it.
-- "Edwards Advocates Combat 'Expeditions; Would Pull Forces, Start Attacks from Bases Outside Iraq." The Boston Globe. By Jenn Abelson. 8 November 2007.
Plan Potentially Leaves Up to 90,000 Troops in Iraq Indefinitely
"For over a year, I have argued for an immediate withdrawal of 40,000 to 50,000 U.S. combat troops from Iraq, followed by an orderly and complete withdrawal of all combat troops."
-- From Foreign Affairs, "Reengaging with the World." Sept/Oct 2007.
-- Congressional Budget Office Director Peter R. Orszag, says there are "about 4,000 combat troops and 5,500 supporting troops, in a combat brigade". Out of the 168,000 troops in Iraq, then roughly 70,500 combat troops would be withdrawn, including the 40,000 - 50,000. This would leave approximately 97,500 support troops in Iraq indefinitely.
Barack Obama on 2013
Click here for a downloadable PDF.
"It's time for a policy that can bring a responsible end to this war and bring our troops home."
-- Barack Obama, Press Release 1/30/07
This IS the time for such a policy, but Bill Richardson is the only major candidate who will get out ALL of our troops out of Iraq -- and pledges to do so by the end of his first year in office -- in 2009.
OBAMA RECORD
Refuses to Pledge to Get Our Troops Out by 2013, the End Of His First Term
RUSSERT: "Will you pledge that by January 2013, the end of your first term, more than five years from now, there will be no U.S. troops in Iraq?"
OBAMA: "I think it's hard to project four years from now, and I think it would be irresponsible. We don't know what contingency will be out there.
What I can promise is that if there are still troops in Iraq when I take office -- which it appears there may be, unless we can get some of our Republican colleagues to change their mind and cut off funding without a timetable -- if there's no timetable -- then I will drastically reduce our presence there to the mission of protecting our embassy, protecting our civilians, and making sure that we're carrying out counterterrorism activities there. I believe that we should have all our troops out by 2013, but I don't want to make promises, not knowing what the situation's going to be three or four years out."
-- From 9/26 DNC Debate at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Would Leave a Residual Force of Up to 60,000 troops in Iraq
"My plan for ending the war would turn the page in Iraq by removing our combat troops from Iraq's civil war."
-- Speech in Clinton, Iowa 9/12/2007.
Under the Obama plan, American troops may remain in Iraq or the region. These American troops will protect American diplomatic and military personnel in Iraq, and continue striking at al Qaeda in Iraq. If Iraq makes political progress and their security forces are not sectarian, we would also continue training othe [sic] Iraqi Security Forces.
-- Barack Obama: Turning the Page in Iraq. BarackObama.com
The Center for American Progress estimates that such an undertaking in Iraq would require a force of around 60,000 troops.
-- "Strategic Redeployment 2.0: A Progressive Strategy for Iraq." The Center for American Progress. By Lawrence Korb and Brian Katulis. May 2006.
Claims to Want to End War, but Votes for Half Measures
Senator Obama has again and again advocated ending the war in Iraq, but has settled for half measures, including an amendment proposed by Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) that, by Senator Levin's own admission, would only, "cut troop levels in Iraq by more than half."
-- From "Senate Blocks Bill on Combat Tours." Associated Press. By Anne Flaherty. 19 September 2007.