Edwards Calls for Pullout of Troops Training Iraqis

[onehandle]

Source: NYT

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — John Edwards says that if elected president he would withdraw the American troops who are training the Iraqi army and police as part of a broader plan to remove virtually all American forces within 10 months.

Mr. Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina who is waging a populist campaign for the Democratic nomination, said that extending the American training effort in Iraq into the next presidency would require the deployment of tens of thousands of troops to provide logistical support and protect the advisers.

“To me, that is a continuation of the occupation of Iraq,” he said in a 40-minute interview on Sunday aboard his campaign bus as it rumbled through western Iowa.

In one of his most detailed discussions to date about how he would handle Iraq as president, Mr. Edwards staked out a position that would lead to a more rapid and complete troop withdrawal than his principal rivals, Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, who have indicated they are open to keeping American trainers and counterterrorism units in Iraq.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/02/us/politics/02edwards.html

[rfranklin]

1. The correct phrase is "end the illegal occupation of Iraq"

which is what we are talking about. Dancing around the truth does no good.

[aquart]

26. I don't care what he calls it as long as he does it.

And NO ONE can win on anything that can be rephrased as defeat.

It's always been ridiculous to think that the Iraqis need us to train them. They have perfectly efficient methods of killing of their own.

[Warren Stupidity]

2. Bullshit headline. Edwards calls for complete withdrawal from Iraq.

Nice hit piece from the Neocon Times. Then again as they played a leading role getting us into this war, what else would we expect.

[rodeodance]

3. WHOW--good for him.

[rodeodance]

4. I am glad to see edwards has evolved in his postion:

.....Mr. Edwards’s plan calls for immediately withdrawing 40,000 to 50,000 troops. Nearly all of the remaining American troops would be removed within 9 or 10 months. The only force that would remain would be a 3,500-to-5,000-strong contingent that would protect the American Embassy and possibly humanitarian workers.

Over the past five years, Mr. Edwards’s position on Iraq has undergone a substantial evolution. In 2002, as a senator, Mr. Edwards was among the Democrats who voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq. Mr. Edwards has said he was convinced by the intelligence that Saddam Hussein controlled stocks of unconventional weapons, but in the Senate speech explaining his vote he also endorsed the Bush administration’s argument that a new democratic Iraq “could serve as a model for the entire Arab world.”

In November 2005, Mr. Edwards wrote an op-ed article for The Washington Post entitled “The Right Way in Iraq,” in which he argued that his earlier vote to authorize the use of force in Iraq was a mistake, while making the point that it was still important to provide American troops with “a way to end their mission honorably.”

Toward this end, Mr. Edwards called at the time for establishing a more effective program to train Iraqi troops and channeling reconstruction work to Iraqis instead of American contractors. While he called for removing a significant number of American forces, he also emphasized that the withdrawals should be “a gradual process.”

[Demeter]

5. 2 Points You Raise: Edwards Has a Position, & It's Not Cast in Concrete

That's what this country needs, a President who can reason and adapt to new information and conditions, and who can hear the people!

[KittyWampus]

14. Well, it is written on his website not concrete. But he panders constantly, so it's no surprise his

campaign can't keep up with his bullshit act.

[aquart]

27. What a lovely change that would be.

[julski]

37. . . . nobody's positions should be cast in concrete

things change!
frequently!

[Froward69]

46. reactionary=(edwards) is one thing

Foresight is much more desirable. Thats Joe Biden

[ryanmuegge]

21. His position on this issue is correct now, but he used to be a punk ass bitch back in the day

As you point out in more eloquent terms.

The John Edwards we saw in 2002-2004 was a "moderate," (which is a code word for "Republican-lite" in today's vernacular) religious warmonger who smiled all of the time while billions were wasted and innocents were slaughtered. It's tough to forgive somebody for being so grotesquely vapid as Edwards was back then, but his change in the last couple of years has been reassuring. I'm not sure if his change is genuine, but he's worth supporting just to find out. Assuming he's elected and isn't what he claims to be, he'd be just another "moderate" triangulator, which is all Obama or Clinton would be. Edwards offers a bit of hope (though not much) if he's elected, which is more than any of the others. In a political climate as thoroughly rigged by elite economic interests as our competing-sects-of-the-same-party system, the slight chance that somebody may represent anything resembling significant change from the status quo is all one can realistically hope for.

[sk8rrobert2]

6. One question nobody has covered

The Iraq War was under false pretenses but we have built multiple permanent bases in Iraq. What happens to those bases that were built with tax-payer money?

[onehandle]

7. Hopefully we will dismantle them.

The big one in Baghdad is an "Embassy." That one will stay in our control for that reason.

The worst President in history is leaving us with a big mess.

[underpants]

8. That has completely dropped off the radar

Once the Dems got in power they forgot about it too

Typical

Welcome to DU :hi:

[karynnj]

17. "Once the Dems got in power"

Bush is President. The Democrats control the Senate by 51 to 49, 1 of whom is Leiberman. A change that is completely against Bush's will would take 67 Senators. Do you know where the Democrats can get 67 Senators to vote to dismantle permanent bases? I doubt we have all the Democrats.

It hasn't dropped off the radar. Biden had a sense of the Senate resolution that was against permanent bases - and the House had a corresponding one.

[underpants]

20. Okay

I was wrong to post it that way. I had forgotten about the measures that they did do but it did seem like they made much more hay out of this before the '06 election-at least to me.

[aquart]

29. The next Saddam has free luxury accommodations.

What did you think would happen? Taking over the American bases and "embassy" would be an extremely popular statement of independence for the next Iraqi government. Expect lots of footage on it.

They will rub our noses in our defeat. And we will deserve every ugly second of it.

[Yukari Yakumo]

40. Saigon deju vu? Bank on it {nt}

uguu

[tabasco]

33. We give the bases back to the locals.

Just like we have done throughout history.

[IsItJustMe]

42. A costly lesson learned, I reckon.

[underpants]

9. Well lookie there Johnny-THAT'S how you win elections

state the obvious. Just tell the truth-it will set you apart from the rest of this crowd (both sides)

[Froward69]

10. If anyone was wondering about DU bias

Today proves it beyond any reasonable doubt. at the time of this post this thread was 3 hours old and had 6 recommends. when i signed on it was 5.



And is the DU Headline on the front page...
Why don't the mods and administrators come out of the closet and simply endorse Edwards.
This Horseshit is just the same stripe as the M$M. Flat out Biased.

Besides here again is yet another shining example of edwards saying one thing whereas his website says another.
Withdraw Combat Troops within Nine to Ten Months

Edwards believes we should completely withdraw all combat troops from Iraq within nine to ten months and prohibit permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq. After withdrawal, we should retain sufficient forces in Quick Reaction Forces located outside Iraq, in friendly countries like Kuwait, to prevent an Al Qaeda safe haven, a genocide, or regional spillover of a civil war.
Take Additional Steps to Stabilize Iraq

Edwards believes we should intensify U.S. efforts to train the Iraqi security forces. He would also step up U.S. diplomatic efforts by engaging in direct talks with all the nations in the region, including Iran and Syria, to bring a political solution to the sectarian violence inside Iraq, including through a peace conference. http://www.johnedwards.com/issues/iraq/

[KittyWampus]

13. One might also mention the cognitive dissonance among Edwards' supporters. Who cares if he's phony

and a panderer who will say ANYTHING to get elected- as long as he panders to me!

[Froward69]

15. spot on!!

[peoli]

22. Its true. I posted the below headline 9 hours prior

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3924732

[waiting for hope]

11. Damn -

Error: You've already recommended that thread....

So KICK!

[smokey nj]

12. K&R!

[balantz]

16. K & R!

The media will try and spin it any way they can, but the message is clear, Edwards will get us out of Iraq. He owes no allegience to the corporations that profit from the insanity.

:dem:

[SlingBlade]

18. And we are being played...Hard

Quote:
“Dennis Kucinich urged supporters Tuesday to make Barack Obama”

Kucinich the “Anti-War” Candidate backs Obama ???

Barack Obama HAS NOT made such a pledge.
Matter of fact he has called this type of pledge, Dangerous.

I’m for Edwards. The rest of these guys reek of Corporatism.

[Zorra]

19. "As truth is gathered, I rearrange."

John Edwards poverty tour must have made him see the light big time.

His tune seems to have changed since his tenure as a Senator.

I sincerely hope that his apparent conversion to progressive populism is sincere and not simply a political ploy.

Because he is really saying a lot of very good things, things that need to be said, and most importantly, done.

[frogmarch]

23. He will give it all he's got. K&R n/t

[Plucketeer]

24. I'm looking forward to.....

EIGHT LONG HISTORY-MAKING, REVOLUTIONARY, YEARS of REAL COMPASSION from the White House!!! No "shell-game" obfuscating rhetoric about caring for folks. No "moral majority" hoodwink of taking advantage of people of faith by feeding the BULLSHIT about having a hotline to heaven! No executive branch cloaked in secrecy so as not to allow the taxpayers what deals are being made in the Blight House. NONE of that crap will happen with John Edwards in this country's foremost mansion. NONE!

We've got ONE chance at having a REAL breath of fresh air in DC and John Edwards is IT.

[sandyj999]

25. John Edwards just received two votes in the Michigan Primary.

My husband and I vote absentee ballot and just wrote John Edwards in. Of course it probably won't matter because Michigan is being "punished". We have really been watching and listening and we just couldn't bring ourselves to vote for Hillary.

[aquart]

28. Vote YOUR choice, no one else's. You did good.

[sandyj999]

31. Thanks. I had to vote my conscience.

And I didn't like the media telling me that Hillary was a done deal.

[aquart]

32. Shouldn't have listened to them, either.

[gateley]

30. Sigh. Let's just get MOVING on the Biden-Boxer-Brownback plan and this

probably wouldn't even be an issue anymore.

God love 'em all -- they all want us to leave, but we've yet to DO anything. Meanwhile, people are dying.

[johnp]

34. More double speak, not good enough for me

Nothing less than a complete troop withdrawal immediately upon winning the Presidency will be enough for me. Any talk of phasing out troops or withdrawing limited amounts of troops is just pandering to Progressives with the real intent of continuing the war and the illegal and criminal occupation of a another country.

[EFerrari]

36. It's the Times' bs, not John's. So typical of them. n/t

[goforit]

35. Gooooo Edwards!!!

[iamthebandfanman]

38. why all these negatively toned pieces against edwards all of a sudden? n/t

[onehandle]

39. The MSM doesn't like him.

He's not as interesting as a missing blond white female.

Other candidates, apparently, are.

[IsItJustMe]

44. WTF? That was exactly what I was thinking. Sometimes these folks come out of the wood work.

[IsItJustMe]

41. Now your singing my song. Keep up the good work.

[Clanfear]

43. Talk about sinking your own boat.

I don't know how he could have done a better job.

[onehandle]

45. Kick! nt