Obama defends Iraq war stance

7/4/2008 - 7:25:54 PM

Barack Obama, who hoped to woo moderate voters in traditionally Republican territory on his US Independence Day campaign tour, found himself instead defending against criticism that he was wavering on Iraq war policy to win votes.

A row over war policy – one of the main issues separating the Illinois senator from his Republican opponent John McCain – overshadowed Mr Obama’s town-hall meeting with veterans in Republican bastion North Dakota yesterday.

The discussion was supposed to focus on patriotism – a theme Mr Obama has highlighted much of the week – and his plans to care for veterans. But questioning turned to Iraq policy and his impending trip there.

In a town hall meeting in Fargo, Mr Obama left the impression that his talks with military commanders in Iraq during his forthcoming visit to the war-torn country could refine his promise to remove US combat troops within 16 months of taking office.

“I am going to do a thorough assessment when I’m there,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll have more information and continue to refine my policy.”

Republicans pounced on the chance to characterise Mr Obama as altering one of the core policies that drove his candidacy “for the sake of political expedience.” He denied equally forcefully that he was shifting positions.

“There appears to be no issue that Barack Obama is not willing to reverse himself on for the sake of political expedience,” said Alex Conant, a spokesman for the Republican Party. “Obama’s Iraq problem undermines the central premise of his candidacy and shows him to be a typical politician.”

Mr Obama, who is running on a promise to bring change to Washington, quickly called a second news conference to clarify, accusing McCain supporters of distorting his remarks.

The Democrat said what he learns from the military commanders will refine his policy, but “not the 16-month timetable” for withdrawing US troops from combat in Iraq.

He said what he learns could affect how many residual troops might be needed to train the Iraqi army and police.

“I have said throughout this campaign that this war was ill-conceived, that it was a strategic blunder and that it needs to come to an end,” he said. “I have also said I would be deliberate and careful about how we get out. That position has not changed. I am not searching for manoeuvring room with respect to that position.”

During his presidential campaign, Mr Obama has gone from the hard-edged, vocal opposition to Iraq that defined his early candidacy to calls for the phased-out withdrawal of all combat brigades that, at a rate of one or two a month, could take 16 months.

He has said that if al Qaida builds bases in Iraq, he would keep troops either in the country or the region to carry out “targeted strikes.”

The exchange on Iraq underscored the stakes in a presidential race in which swing voters – courted by both Mr Obama and Mr McCain – are expected to play in the election.

Mr McCain has been a vocal supporter of the Iraq war and has expressed opposition to pulling out US troops until the Iraqis are able to manage their own security – positions that have opened him up to criticism by Mr Obama.

Mr Obama has argued that Mr McCain offers little more than a continuation of President George Bush’s policies and the unpopular war – arguments he hopes will sway to his camp centrist voters.

A recent AP-Yahoo News poll finds that 15% of voters in the US call themselves moderates and are not solidly supporting a candidate.

The Democrat was spending today’s holiday in Montana, a state that has voted Republican for the White House for decades.

Only Bill Clinton was able to carry Montana in 1992 – but only with about a third of the vote, after independent Ross Perot split the conservative vote.

In Butte, Montana, cheers greeted Mr Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters as they arrived to watch the town parade. The crowd also broke into song, singing a rendition of Happy Birthday for Obama’s oldest daughter, Malia, who turned 10 today.

Mr Obama didn’t walk the parade route because of safety concerns, but he sat in the stands to watch the floats. After the parade, the Obamas were hosting a “family picnic” for hundreds of people – part campaign rally, part birthday party for Malia.

Carrying little weight in the election, Montana rarely sees presidential candidates in the summer before a general election. Republicans usually take the state for granted, while Democrats do not even try to contest it.

While Mr McCain has not visited the state this election year, and has no staff there, his campaign remains confident.

“The more often Barack Obama travels to Montana, the more voters will be reminded of why they disagree with him on the issues they care about most,” said Mr McCain spokesman Tom Steward.

Along with North Dakota, a stop was also expected in Missouri.

By focusing on such areas, Mr Obama may be hoping that even if he cannot win those states in November, he can force Mr McCain to spend time and money fighting for them.

Mr Obama’s courting of centrist voters also was evident in statements about late-term abortions he made in an interview this week with Relevant, a Christian magazine.

Mr Obama said “mental distress” should not qualify as a health exception for late term-abortions, a key distinction not embraced by many supporters of abortion rights.

Mr McCain, meanwhile, was scheduled to spend the holiday weekend at his home in Arizona after wrapping up yesterday a three-day visit to Colombia and Mexico to promote free trade and burnish his foreign policy credentials.

He met with the presidents of both countries, discussing such topics as drugs in Colombia and the thorny issue of immigration while in Mexico, which borders his home state.