Full US Troop Withdrawal by 2013? No Promises.
The three leading Democratic presidential candidates all agreed it would be wrong to promise full troop withdrawal by 2013. However each remains determined to highlight their differing approaches to ending the war, write Jeff Zeleny and Patrick Healy for the New York Times. Speaking at a televised debate, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama and Mr. Edwards were clearly divided on the issue. Edwards asserted that Clinton was prepared to leave troops in Iraq for full combat missions, claiming his plan would instead reduce troop levels to a manageable size; leaving a force large enough to carry out narrow missions. During the debate Clinton also faced criticism for her recent vote to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. Edwards warned that the vote was the first step towards authorizing President Bush to wage a new war.
