11.23.2005
Obama: 'Reduce the U.S. Military Footprint' in Iraq (ChicagoTribune.com)
By Jeff Zeleny
Tribune national correspondent
Published November 22, 2005, 9:04 PM CST
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) injected himself Tuesday into the forefront of a growing bipartisan call to reappraise American foreign policy in Iraq, saying the U.S. should begin a gradual withdrawal of its troops next year so Iraqis become empowered to take charge of their country's fate.
As he scolded the White House for what he called "shameful" attempts to silence dissent about the war, Obama urged President Bush to look beyond politics and admit that mistakes were made in Iraq. He said the U.S. should seek to accelerate its training of Iraqi troops and seek political solutions that are more practical than striving to create a "Jeffersonian democracy" in Iraq.
"During the course of the next year, we need to focus our attention on how to reduce the U.S. military footprint in Iraq," Obama said in a luncheon speech to the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, a forum he had requested. "Notice that I say `reduce,' and not `fully withdraw.' "
Obama, who vigorously opposed the war during his Senate candidacy, made his first major foray into the escalating public debate as Congress and the White House wrestle with the past and the future of U.S. involvement in Iraq and as American military deaths in conflict reached 2,100.
"The administration has narrowed an entire debate about war into two camps: `cut-and-run' or `stay the course,' " Obama said. "If you offer any criticism or even mention that we should take a second look at our strategy and change our approach, you're branded `cut-and-run.' If you're ready to blindly trust the administration no matter what they do, you're willing to stay the course."
(More ... Chicago Tribune | Obama: 'Reduce the U.S. military footprint' in Iraq) ¶ 21:54
Tribune national correspondent
Published November 22, 2005, 9:04 PM CST
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) injected himself Tuesday into the forefront of a growing bipartisan call to reappraise American foreign policy in Iraq, saying the U.S. should begin a gradual withdrawal of its troops next year so Iraqis become empowered to take charge of their country's fate.
As he scolded the White House for what he called "shameful" attempts to silence dissent about the war, Obama urged President Bush to look beyond politics and admit that mistakes were made in Iraq. He said the U.S. should seek to accelerate its training of Iraqi troops and seek political solutions that are more practical than striving to create a "Jeffersonian democracy" in Iraq.
"During the course of the next year, we need to focus our attention on how to reduce the U.S. military footprint in Iraq," Obama said in a luncheon speech to the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, a forum he had requested. "Notice that I say `reduce,' and not `fully withdraw.' "
Obama, who vigorously opposed the war during his Senate candidacy, made his first major foray into the escalating public debate as Congress and the White House wrestle with the past and the future of U.S. involvement in Iraq and as American military deaths in conflict reached 2,100.
"The administration has narrowed an entire debate about war into two camps: `cut-and-run' or `stay the course,' " Obama said. "If you offer any criticism or even mention that we should take a second look at our strategy and change our approach, you're branded `cut-and-run.' If you're ready to blindly trust the administration no matter what they do, you're willing to stay the course."
(More ... Chicago Tribune | Obama: 'Reduce the U.S. military footprint' in Iraq) ¶ 21:54
