Obama Shares 'My Plan for Iraq' in NY Times Op-Ed

Obama has an op-ed in today's New York Times laying out his position on Iraq. I imagine one reason he put it out now is that he's being accused by some of backtracking on his pledge to start withdrawing troops on day one if he wins the presidency. Obama ran into some wary criticism recently when he said he'd be willing to "refine" his Iraq policy if conditions warrant.

In today's op-ed, Obama pivots off al-Maliki's recent request for a troop withdrawal timetable, and reiterates his firm intention to end the war as quickly as possible. You really should read the entire op-ed. What's your reaction? Excerpts:

The call by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki for a timetable for the removal of American troops from Iraq presents an enormous opportunity. We should seize this moment to begin the phased redeployment of combat troops that I have long advocated, and that is needed for long-term success in Iraq and the security interests of the United States.

... Only by redeploying our troops can we press the Iraqis to reach comprehensive political accommodation and achieve a successful transition to Iraqis’ taking responsibility for the security and stability of their country. Instead of seizing the moment and encouraging Iraqis to step up, the Bush administration and Senator McCain are refusing to embrace this transition — despite their previous commitments to respect the will of Iraq’s sovereign government. They call any timetable for the removal of American troops “surrender,” even though we would be turning Iraq over to a sovereign Iraqi government.

... In this campaign, there are honest differences over Iraq, and we should discuss them with the thoroughness they deserve. Unlike Senator McCain, I would make it absolutely clear that we seek no presence in Iraq similar to our permanent bases in South Korea, and would redeploy our troops out of Iraq and focus on the broader security challenges that we face. But for far too long, those responsible for the greatest strategic blunder in the recent history of American foreign policy have ignored useful debate in favor of making false charges about flip-flops and surrender.

It’s not going to work this time. It’s time to end this war.

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