Obama To Demand Immediate Withdrawal: “One Or Two Brigades A Month”
CLINTON, 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 was expected to say in a speech Wednesday at Ashford University.
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 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 was to say.
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.
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.”
“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.
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 want to bring all combat troops home in a matter of months.
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’s speech marked the beginning of a two-day trip to Iowa. Most polls show he, Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards in a close race in the state, where precinct caucuses launch the presidential nominating process.
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Fuckin’ dickhead. Drown in your own bullshit, because you’re full of it!
September 12th, 2007 at 1:53 amObama was being introduced by Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was national security adviser to President Carter from 1977 to 1981.
Uh, so let me get this straight. Carter’s national security adviser during the late 70’s, a time at which we were having a cold war with Russia, which was led by guys with names like Brezhnev and Gorbachev, was named Zbigniew Brzezinski.
And now that guy Zbigniew Brzezinski is endorsing Obama, at a time when we are at war with guys with names like Mohammed, and Osama….
Hmm, I think I’m seeing a pattern here…
Maybe the Dems just figure if you can’t beat em join em.
September 12th, 2007 at 2:59 am
Until Senator Obama becomes President he can’t dictate sh*t! After that little comment he made about our military has to stop bombing civilians in Afghanistan I lost any respect for this individual. Hey Obama my Son in Iraq DON’T KILL CIVILIANS!!
September 12th, 2007 at 5:36 amDoes Mr Brezinski still foam at the mouth when he talks? Just wondering?
September 12th, 2007 at 5:37 amWow, The level of stupity that this guys demonstrates day in and day out is beyond belief. Is he sugguesting that we leave the non-combat brigades behind??? Does he understand how hard it will be to remove one brigade a month let alone two?? Know I see why he is a flaming A-Hole. He wants the military to get out of Iraq in 6 months, but it took him 20 years to pay his parking fines?
September 12th, 2007 at 5:57 amIf I remember correctly that skit that SNL did on droolcups was a shot at Brezinski. LOL
September 12th, 2007 at 6:05 amWTF does this college preppy know about military strategy anyways. I guess maybe he plays Command and Conquer when he’s not hanging out at Oprah’s house. What a dumbass. None of these idiots in suits should have any say on our military strategy, especially over an extremely HIGHLY DECORATED FOUR STAR GENERAL! Who do you think has more of an idea how to fight a war america!
September 12th, 2007 at 6:48 amObama is to foreign policy what Jerry Lewis is to comedy…..an oxymoron.
September 12th, 2007 at 7:18 amI have to laugh. A terrorism expert on Fox accidently called Osama bin Laden “Obama” yesterday and the anchor quickly corrected him and was visibly flustered. We can’t have things like that happening, can we?! Keep going, McGovernites, cheered on by the ‘68 leftover antiwar hippies out for their last hurrah. This will be your Waterloo!
September 12th, 2007 at 2:32 pm[…] Obama calls for immediate al-Qaeda victory in Iraq — Pat Dollard […]
September 12th, 2007 at 3:03 pm