Iraq Plan
The 'Iraq Plan' refers to the candidate's proposed plan for the Iraq War. The Iraq War is an ongoing conflict which began on March 20, 2003 with the United States-led invasion of Iraq. The main rationale for the Iraq War offered by U.S. President George W. Bush, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair, and their domestic and foreign supporters was that Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction. These weapons, it was argued, posed a threat to the United States, its allies and interests. In the 2003 State of the Union Address, Bush claimed that the U.S. could not wait until the threat from Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein became imminent. After the invasion, however, no evidence was found of such weapons. Some U.S. officials cited claims of a connection between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda. No evidence of any substantial al-Qaeda connection has been found. The war began on March 20, 2003, when a largely British and American force supported by small contingents from Australia, Denmark and Poland invaded Iraq. The invasion soon led to the defeat and flight of Saddam Hussein. The U.S.-led coalition occupied Iraq and attempted to establish a new democratic government; however it failed to restore order in Iraq. The unrest led to asymmetric warfare with the Iraqi insurgency, civil war between many Sunni and Shia Iraqis and al-Qaeda operations in Iraq. As a result of this failure to restore order, a growing number of coalition nations have withdrawn troops from Iraq. The causes and consequences of the war remain controversial.
Joseph Biden on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Create conditions for our armed forces to responsibly withdraw. |
| Description: |
"The only way to hold Iraq together and create the conditions for our armed forces to responsibly withdraw is to give Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds incentives to pursue their interests peacefully and to forge a sustainable political settlement." - Biden He outlined a 5 point plan with Les Gelb. 1. Unify Iraq by decentralizing it and giving Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis their own regions. The central government would be left in charge of common interests. 2. Bind the Sunnis to the deal by guaranteeing them a proportionate share of oil revenue. Each group would have an incentive to maximize oil production, making oil the glue that binds the country together. 3. Create a massive jobs program while increasing reconstruction aid -- especially from the oil-rich Gulf states -- but tying it to the protection of minority rights. 4. Convene an international conference that would produce a regional nonaggression pact and create a Contact Group to enforce regional commitments. 5. Redeployment of U.S. forces this year and withdraw most of them by the end of 2007, while maintaining a small follow-on force to keep the neighbors honest and to strike any concentration of terrorists. |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
South Carolina Democratic debate transcript (8/2/07)
"Look, Brian, this is not a game show. You know, this is not a football game. This is not win or lose. The fact of the matter is that the president has a fundamentally flawed policy. It's based upon the notion of being able to set a strong, central government in Baghdad that will be democratic. And the real question is: Are we going to be able to leave Iraq, get our troops out, and leave behind something other than chaos? In order to do that, the president should start off by not vetoing the language which we just -- he says he's going to veto, we just passed today saying, "Begin to drawdown American troops right now and move toward a political solution." Look, there's only one way. You've got to change the fundamental premise of this engagement, and that is, you've got to decentralize Iraq, you've got to give the regions control over their own destiny, get them control over their police forces, their own identity, and have a limited central government and share their oil wealth (ph). The president better get on the game plan here, or he is just going to drag this out to the point where it's not recognizable." |
| 2. |
Iraq Pullout - "Are we watching the same *blanking* war?" (7/31/07)
If we started today it would take 1 year to get 150,000 troops out of Iraq. You need a political solution before you pull out. He would separate the parties and put them in their own locations. 1.) Begin to draw down troops now, 2.) remove most of combat troops by March of 2008. |
| 3. |
A Plan to Hold Iraq Together (7/13/07)
An article written by Biden about how to keep Iraq together. |
| 4. |
Senator Joe Biden's Response to Nunh Speech (10/25/07)
Biden's says that a civil war in Iraq is very likely. |
| 5. |
Iraq's Future and America's Interests (10/15/07)
A speech from Biden about Iraq. "If we deal with it successfully, we can recover the freedom, flexibility and credibility to meet these other challenges." - Biden |
| 6. |
Turning the Corner in Iraq (10/15/07)
A speech Biden gave to the Council on Foreign Relations. |
| 7. |
The Way Forward in Iraq: Avoiding Partition, Preserving Unity, Protecting America's Interests (10/15/07)
"I start from this hard truth: President Bush does not have a strategy for victory in Iraq. His strategy is to prevent defeat and to hand the problem off to his successor. Meanwhile, the frustration of Americans is mounting so fast that Congress might end up mandating a rapid withdrawal, even at the risk of trading a dictator for chaos, and a civil war that could become a regional war." - Joseph Biden |
| 8. |
Joe Biden on CNBC (10/15/07)
Biden talks about the surge isn't really working. |
Michael Bloomberg on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Supports war and rationale for entering |
| Description: | Bloomberg supports the war in Iraq and the rationale for going in. He stated, "Don't forget that the war started not very many blocks from here" alluding to Ground Zero. In regards to the global War on Terrorism including Iraq he said, "It's not only to protect Americans. It's America's responsibility to protect people around the world who want to be free." Bloomberg expresses criticism about Democrats in Congress who want to set a timetable for withdraw from Iraq calling them, "irresponsible." |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
Mayor Mute (8/15/07)
Bloomberg expresses criticism about Democrats in Congress who want to set a timetable for withdraw from Iraq calling them, "irresponsible." |
| 2. |
How Rare Terrorist Activities are (7/24/07)
A video where Bloomberg says its more likely to get hit by lightning than a terrorist. |
Sam Brownback on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Supports Iraq war |
| Description: | Brownback backs the White House's war efforts in Iraq and maintains that "the region and the world are safer now that Saddam Hussein has been removed from power." However, Brownback did not support the troop surge. Instead, he has called for a strong diplomatic effort in the region. Brownback supports a "three-state, one-country solution" in Iraq. |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
Republican Presidential Debate, June 5, 2007 (8/6/07)
"It's not about leaving, and it's not about being defeated. It's about getting the situation to a point that we can turn it over to Iraqis, and then us pull back from the front of the line. That's why I'm putting forward tomorrow a bill, and this would be about a three-state solution in Iraq -- a Kurdish state, a Sunni state, a Shia state -- with Baghdad as the federal city, in a loose, weak, federated system; oil revenues equally divided. And it's a bipartisan bill. We will have bipartisan support. We've got to pull together here to win over there. " |
| 2. |
The Candidates on Iraq (7/24/07)
A summary of Brownbacks support of the war |
| 3. |
The Candidates on the Iraq War (7/24/07)
Brownbacks support of a 3 state system. |
| 4. |
The Candidates on the Iraq War (7/24/07)
Brownbacks support of a 3 state system. |
| 5. |
A Question about Iraq for Senator Brownback (7/24/07)
A question and answer session with brownback |
Hillary Clinton on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | End the War |
| Description: | On October 11, 2002, Clinton voted in favor of the Iraq War Resolution to give President Bush authority for the Iraq War. |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
South Carolina Democratic debate transcript (8/2/07)
"Well, Brian, at the outset, let me say that the American people have spoken. The Congress has voted, as of today, to end this war. And now we can only hope that the president will listen. I'm very proud of the Congress under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi and Leader Reid for putting together a piece of legislation which says we will fund our troops and protect them, we will limit the number of days that they can be deployed, and we will start to bring them home. And I think that is exactly what the American people want. This is not America's war to win or lose. We have given the Iraqi people the chance to have freedom, to have their own country. It is up to them to decide whether or not they're going to take that chance. And it is past time for them to demonstrate that they are willing to make the sacrifice, the compromise that is necessary to put together a unified government and provide security and stability without our young men and women in the middle of their sectarian civil war." |
| 2. |
U.S Senate Roll Call Votes (7/5/07)
Clintons vote for a joint resolution to authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq. |
| 3. |
Clinton Gives War Critics New Answer on %uFFFD02 Vote (7/5/07)
Clinton says she does not regret voting in favor of the Iraq War Resolution. |
| 4. |
Is Clinton 'disingenuous' about Iraq vote? (7/5/07)
Carl Bernstein questions why Clinton would have voted against the Levin Amendment, which required Bush to allow more time to UN weapons inspectors, if she believed at the time that Bush should do exactly that. |
| 5. |
Hillary Clinton: No regret on Iraq vote (7/5/07)
Hillary is not sorry for her 2002 vote allow Bush to make military action but she regrets the way President Bush handled it. |
| 6. |
Hillary Clinton Talks Iraq (7/5/07)
"I do not believe that we should allow this to be an open-ended commitment without limits or end. Nor do I believe that we can or should pull out of Iraq immediately." - Hillary Clinton |
| 7. |
America's Future Speech (7/5/07)
Hillary doesn't like the open ended commitment that Bush has in place but she feels that the troops cannot be pulled out either. |
| 8. |
Clinton Plan to End War (7/5/07)
On February 17, 2007, Hillary Clinton announced the Iraq Troop Protection and Reduction Act of 2007. This act would compel President Bush to begin relegating troops from Iraq within 90 days of remote passage, or, according to Clinton, Congress would have to dismantle their authorization for the war. The Act would also end the blank check to the Iraqi government and submit them to harsh consequences if boundaries are violated. Lastly, the Act would require the Secretary of Defense to verify the condition, in terms of supplies and in terms of their training, of all Iraqi troops before they are sent. |
| 9. |
Transcript of Interview With Senator Clinton (10/9/07)
She talks about how we should bring a close to the Iraq conflict and possibilities for redeployment of forces. |
| 10. |
Hillary Clinton's views on going to war, Saddam, & WMD (10/23/07)
Unedited version - Hillary Clinton talks about her vote to go to war, Saddam, and WMDs 2 weeks before war in a meeting w/ women, men, National Organization for Women and Code Pink. |
John Cox on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Conditional Support |
| Description: | Quickly build up Iraq's economy by returning oil production to full capacity, then pull out our troops victorious. |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
Conditional Support (9/9/07)
Quickly build up Iraq's economy by returning oil production to full capacity then pull out our troops victorious. |
Christopher Dodd on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Use diplomacy, not more troops in Iraq and end the war decisively. |
| Description: |
Dodd outlines two key points about the Iraq war. 1. Use diplomacy, not more troops in Iraq. Chris Dodd is strongly opposed to a troop surge strategy. He would rather use a strategy of negotiations. 2. End the War in Iraq Decisively. Dodd strongly supports the Feingold-Reid proposal, a measure in Congress that sets a timetable to end the war in Iraq by March 31, 2008. |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
Senator Dodd Speaks on Iraq (7/24/07)
His plan for Iraq |
| 2. |
Plan to Restore America's Moral Authority (7/24/07)
How he feels about Iraq and other foreign affairs |
| 3. |
Dodd on $50 billion request for more Iraq funds (10/25/07)
Dodd says we shouldn't continue to fund the war. |
John Edwards on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Reduce American involvement, build Iraq's capacity, and including other countries in the rebuilding process. |
| Description: | John Edwards has defined a plan for successfully rebuilding Iraq. In the Washington Post he wrote "A plan for success needs to focus on three interlocking objectives: reducing the American presence, building Iraq's capacity and getting other countries to meet their responsibilities to help." |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
Edwards echoes King's anti-war message (7/7/07)
John Edwards speaks out against President Bush's plan to increase the number of troops in Iraq. |
| 2. |
The Right Way in Iraq (7/6/07)
John Edwards apologizes for supporting the Iraq War in 2002. He then goes on to propose a plan to build a stable nation in Iraq and reduce US involvement. |
| 3. |
Edwards Denounces 'McCain Doctrine' on Iraq (7/6/07)
George Stephanopoulos interviews John McCain on the Iraq troop surge. |
| 4. |
John Edwards - Energy Plan, Iraq, Universal Health Care (7/31/07)
There is no military solution to Iraq. Does not support immediate withdrawal. 40-50 thousand out now, and the rest out in a year. We do need to maintain presence in the region. Put troops in kuwait and redeploy troops in Afghanistan. |
| 5. |
John Edwards - A Message from John Edwards (10/25/07)
John Edwards is urging people to support the troops and speak out in bringing them home. |
Newt Gingrich on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Supports the war |
| Description: | Gingrich feels that the consequences of defeat at too costly to not win the war. |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
Thoughts on the Iraq War - Newt Gingrich (7/24/07)
He gives a speech about the Iraq war. |
| 2. |
Senator Dodd and Newt Gingrich Debate (7/24/07)
A debate which touches on the Iraq war. |
| 3. |
Consequences of Defeat in Iraq - Newt Gingrich (7/24/07)
He talks about the need to win. |
Rudolph Giuliani on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Supports the war in Iraq, opposes timetable for withdrawal |
| Description: | "The former New York mayor supports the war, saying Iraq has to be seen in the context of a broader threat to the US. He has backed George W Bush's surge strategy, but has said some way to evaluate progress in Iraq is needed. He opposes setting any kind of timetable for withdrawal, a move proposed by the Democratic-led Congress in a bill vetoed by Mr Bush." |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
Republican Presidential Debate, June 5, 2007 (8/6/07)
"I believe that this terrorist war began way back in the 1970s. They attacked us in 1993 in New York. They attacked us again in 2001 in a horrible way. And I believe that what we're doing in Iraq, if we can get it right, is going to help reduce the risk for this country. And if we get it wrong, this is going to be much, much worse for us. And part of what we have to do and we haven't done right is take on that responsibility of nation-building. We created that responsibility for ourselves when we overthrew Saddam Hussein, which we did very effectively. It was one of the greatest military actions in American history, overthrowing Saddam Hussein. But we didn't accomplish the second step. People can only embrace democracy when they have an orderly existence. And we have to help provide that. We didn't want that role, but it is our role. And we have to train our military to do it. We should probably have an IraqStat program, in which we measure how many people are going to school, how many factories are open, how many people are going back to work. We had to get into the nitty-gritty of putting an orderly society together in Iraq. It is not too late to do it. And I'd just like to ask, I'd just like to ask one question I didn't get to ask before, when you said, if General Petraeus comes back in September and reports that things aren't going well, what are we going to do? But suppose General Petraeus comes back in September and reports that things are going pretty well. Are we going to report that with the same amount of attention that we would report the negative news?" |
| 2. |
Republican Debate Transcript, South Carolina (8/4/07)
"First of all, that isn't exactly what I said. I was talking about the timetable for retreat that the Democrats passed in Congress, in which they did something extraordinary and that I've never heard of in the history of war, which is to give your enemy a schedule of how a retreating army is going to retreat. That was irresponsible, highly irresponsible. What the Republicans did, or suggested, I don't think is the right approach either. And I think Senator McCain is correct, these people do want to follow us here and they have followed us here. Fort Dix happened a week ago. That was a situation in which six Islamic terrorists, who were not directed by al Qaeda but claimed to have been inspired by them, were going to kill our military in cold blood at Fort Dix. It was a 16-month investigation done by the FBI and the United States Attorney's Office, and thank God they caught them. But we have to remind ourselves that we are facing an enemy that is planning all over this world, and it turns out planning inside our country, to come here and kill us. And the worst thing to do in the face of that is to show them weakness." |
| 3. |
Rudy Giuliani on terrorists' war against US, part II (7/11/07)
Video of Rudy Giuliani discussing his position on Iraq during a Presidential debate. |
| 4. |
2008 Election: Key Issues (7/11/07)
Candidates positions on the war in Iraq. |
| 5. |
Mayor Giuliani on terrorists' war against US (7/11/07)
Giuliani commenting on whether or not it was a mistake to invade Iraq. |
Al Gore on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Would wait to hear all the information before determining a plan |
| Description: | Vice-president Al Gore has criticized President Bush for the Iraq war. He has urged President Bush to find a way to remove the troops from Iraq without making the current situation in Iraq any worse. He has declined to comment on whether or not he would pull the troops citing that he would need to have access to the "full flow of information" that the presidency provides. |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
Gore to Bush on Iraq: It's Not About You (8/26/07)
Vice-president Al Gore says President Bush should swallow his pride and do whats best for the country in terms of Iraq. |
Mike Gravel on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Immediate withdrawal of troops |
| Description: | Gravel favors an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. If elected, Gravel says he will "call for a U.S. corporate withdrawal from Iraq and hand over reconstruction contacts to Iraqi businesses which will empower Iraqi nationals to reconstruct their own country." Gravel opposed the war from its start in 2002. In an April 2007 Democratic debate, Gravel encouraged Congress to pass a law "making it a felony to stay" in Iraq. |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
The Candidates on Iraq (7/24/07)
What Gravel has said about Iraq |
| 2. |
Gravel Interview - Talking about Iraq (7/24/07)
His interview with CNN |
| 3. |
Mike Gravel Announces Plan to end the Iraq War (7/24/07)
how he wants to end the war |
| 4. |
Mike Gravel - Take Back America (10/25/07)
Gravel wants to pass legislation to get the president and others charged with a felony for the Iraq war. |
Chuck Hagel on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Begin phased troop withdrawal. |
| Description: | "The United States must begin planning for a phased troop withdrawal from Iraq. The cost of combat in Iraq in terms of American lives, dollars and world standing has been devastating. We've already spent more than $300 billion there to prosecute an almost four-year-old war and are still spending $8 billion per month." - Hagel |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
Bipartisan resolution opposes Bush plan on Iraq (7/24/07)
Hagel speaking out against the war. |
| 2. |
Hit by Friendly Fire (7/24/07)
Talks about how angry Hagel is at Bush. |
| 3. |
Leaving Iraq, Honorably (7/24/07)
How to honorably leave iraq |
Mike Huckabee on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Supports the war |
| Description: | Huckabee generally supports the Bush administration's agenda in Iraq. He says that setting any timetable for troop withdrawal is "a mistake" and also supports the surge effort. Huckabee favors inviting Iraq's neighbors to "become financially and militarily committed to stabilizing Iraq now rather than financially and militarily committed to widening the war later." |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
Huckabee on Iraq (7/24/07)
How Huckabee wants to work in Iraq. |
| 2. |
The Candidates on Iraq (7/24/07)
His summary of Iraq |
| 3. |
Huckabee on Hannity and Colmes (7/24/07)
His interview about Iraq. |
| 4. |
Mike Huckabee Responds to Bush Speech (10/25/07)
Huckabee says the surge is working and things are becoming more stable in Iraq. |
Duncan Hunter on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Supports the war, train Iraqi troops. |
| Description: | "There is an important mission in Iraq. If we can have a country in that strategic location which is a friend, not an enemy, of the United States, which has a modicum of representative government, a modicum of freedom for its people, and will not be a state sponsor of terrorism for the next five to ten to fifteen years; that is in America's interest." - Duncan Hunter |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
Iraq War Resolution (7/24/07)
His speech to the house. |
| 2. |
The War on Terror (7/24/07)
His speech on terror and his plan for Iraq. |
| 3. |
The Right Thing to Do (7/24/07)
A Q A with Hunter |
| 4. |
Iraq Debate a 'Disservice' to Troops (7/24/07)
"The idea that Congress pulls the rug out from under the soldiers as they're actually carrying the mission out, by condemning this mission . . . I thought it was a disservice to our soldiers. There is a right way to leave Iraq and that is to continue to rotate Iraqi battalions that we've trained and equipped into the fight." |
| 5. |
Duncan Hunter Speech (10/22/07)
He talks about phasing in Iraqi troops and phasing out U.S. troops. Start talking about Iraq about the 5th minute. |
Dennis Kucinich on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Bring troops home and stabilize Iraq |
| Description: |
On 8 January, 2007 Dennis Kucinich unveiled his comprehensive exit plan to bring the troops home and stabilize Iraq. The Plan includes the following steps: 1. Announce that the US will end the occupation, close the military bases, and withdraw. 2. Announce that existing funds will be used to bring the troops and the necessary equipment home. 3. Order a simultaneous return of all U.S. contractors to the United States and turn over the contracting work to the Iraqi government 4. Convene a regional conference for the purpose of developing a security and stabilization force for Iraq. 5. Prepare an international security peacekeeping force to move in, replacing U.S. troops, who then return home. 6. Develop and fund a process of national reconciliation. 7. Restart programs for reconstruction and creating jobs for the Iraqi people. 8. Provide reparations for the damage that has been done to the lives of Iraqis. 9. Assure the political sovereignty of Iraq and making sure that their oil isn't stolen. 10. Repair the Iraqi economy. 11. Guarantee economic sovereignty for Iraq 12. Commence an international truth and reconciliation process, which establishes a policy of truth and reconciliation between the people of the United States and Iraq. |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
South Carolina Democratic debate transcript (8/2/07)
"No. I think it's inconsistent to tell the American people that you oppose the war and, yet, you continue to vote to fund the war. Because every time you vote to fund the war, you're reauthorizing the war all over again. As a matter of fact, my good friends here from the Senate just came back from Washington, D.C., where they voted to continue funding the war. The Democrats have the power to end the war right now, and that's what we should do. They were under no obligation to give George Bush any money at all. The money's in the pipeline to bring the troops home. And that's exactly what ought to be done, at this moment. I have a plan, H.R. 1234, a plan to end the war in Iraq, which calls on the international community to provide peacekeepers and security forces that will move in as our troops leave. But we can't do that until we determine we're going to end the occupation. And we will do that when we stop the funding. Furthermore, I don't think that it's sufficient to say that if we had the information at the beginning that we would have voted differently. That information was available to everyone. And, if you made the wrong choice, we're auditioning here for president of the United States. People have to see who had the judgment and the wisdom not to go to war in the first place, and I made the choice not to go to war." |
| 2. |
Speech on Iraq (7/9/07)
He gives a speech and outlines a plan to bring the troops home and stabalize Iraq. |
| 3. |
Kucinich's replies @ Aug. 7, '07 Dem. Pres. Debate (11/16/07)
Kucinich wants to end Iraq and end funding. |
| 4. |
ALL of Dennis Kucinich's replies @ 11-15-07 Dem. debate (11/16/07)
Kucinich says he is the only candidate who has voted against the war and against war funding. |
| 5. |
No More Blood For Oil (10/25/07)
A commercial by Dennis Kucinich on Iraq. |
| 6. |
Kucinich: Get Ready to Read Bush His Miranda Rights (10/22/07)
"Now the people in the Administration of George Bush better remember their Miranda rights, because when I'm elected President I'm going to see that they are arrested. I'm not kidding here!" - Dennis Kucinich |
John McCain on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Forces should stay until Iraq can defend itself |
| Description: | Voted for the 2003 invasion and has said US forces should remain until Iraq is able to defend itself. He has been a prominent supporter of Mr Bush's troop escalation, although he has criticised other aspects of the war's handling. He has warned withdrawal plans could trigger genocide in the region. The senator does not think talking to Iran and Syria will serve US interests. |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
Republican Debate Transcript, South Carolina (8/4/07)
"We have to continue because it's not just the Iraqi vital national security interests that are at stake here, it's America's vital national security interests. If we fail in Iraq, we will see Iraq become a center for al Qaeda, chaos, genocide in the region, and they'll follow us home. After we lost the war in Vietnam, we came home, they didn't follow us home. You read Zarqawi, you read bin Laden, you read al Qaeda, they'll tell you they want to follow us home. I believe we have a new strategy and a good strategy. Only four of the five brigades that are -- that we need to implement the strategy are there. It's long, it's hard, it's tough, it's difficult. Americans are frustrated because of the mishandling of this war. But our national interests -- the United States' national interests are at stake. I believe the Maliki government has got to improve. They've got to pass certain laws that we all know about. But we must succeed, and we cannot fail, and I will be the last man standing if necessary." |
| 2. |
2008 Election: Key Issues (7/5/07)
A comparative look on several candidates over several issues |
| 3. |
John McCain - Consequences of Surrender (10/25/07)
McCain says withdrawal means chaos in Iraq. |
Barack Obama on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Pull the troops out within two years |
| Description: | Barack Obama introduced a bill at the end of January 2007 that, if passed, would have withdrawn all US troops from Iraq by March 2008. |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
South Carolina Democratic debate transcript (8/2/07)
"Well, Brian, I am proud that I opposed this war from the start, because I thought that it would lead to the disastrous conditions that we've seen on the ground in Iraq. What I've also said is if we're going to send hundreds of thousands of our young men and women there, then they have to have the night-vision goggles, the Humvees that are reinforced, and the other equipment that they need to make sure that they come home safely. But the American people have said, Republicans and Democrats, that it's time to end this war. I was in New Hampshire, talking to a woman at a townhall meeting. She started crying, standing up, saying, "I can't breathe. My nephew's been sent to Iraq." And, when I listen to mothers and father all across the country, they are telling me it's time for us to come home. I'm proud of the fact that I put forward a plan in January that mirrors what Congress ultimately adopted. And it says there's no military solution to this. We've got to have a political solution, begin a phased withdrawal, and make certain that we've got benchmarks in place so that the Iraqi people can make a determination about how they want to move forward." |
| 2. |
Obama Bill Sets Date For Troop Withdrawal (7/5/07)
This article outlines Senator Obama's plan for de-escalating the war in Iraq. |
| 3. |
Floor Statement on Iraq War De-escalation Act of 2007 (7/5/07)
Barack Obama's senate floor statement introducing his Iraq War De-escalation Act of 2007. |
| 4. |
Obama Introducing Bill Mandating Withdrawal Of All Troops From Iraq By March 2008 (7/5/07)
An outline of Barack Obama's Iraq War De-escalation Act. |
| 5. |
Iraq Pullout - "Are we watching the same *blanking* war?" (7/31/07)
There is no military solution to the problems in Iraq. Remove troops by March 31 of next year. |
| 6. |
Barack Obama: Conventional Thinking and Foreign Policy (10/23/07)
Barack Obama addresses the failures of conventional thinking on America's foreign policy and takes a shot at Hillary for her initial support of the war. |
| 7. |
Remarks of Senator Barack Obama to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (10/14/07)
"We know what the war in Iraq has cost us in lives and treasure, in influence and respect. We have seen the consequences of a foreign policy based on a flawed ideology, and a belief that tough talk can replace real strength and vision." - Obama |
Ron Paul on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Pull Out Troops |
| Description: | Congressman Paul advocates a non-interventionist foreign policy that avoids entangling alliances. He believes that when a war must be fought, it must be fought to protect the citizens, be declared by Congress, planned out, won and then left: "The American public deserves clear goals and a definite exit strategy in Iraq." On June 7, 2007 Representative Ron Paul introduced HR 2605 IH, Sunset of Public Law 107-243 Act of 2007. This bill proposed that congress needed to pull out or declare war on Iraq within 6 months. |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
Republican Debate Transcript, Simi Valley California, May 3, 2007 (8/6/07)
"That's a very good question. And you might ask the question, why are 70 percent of the American people now wanting us out of there, and why did the Republicans do so poorly last year? So I would suggest that we should look at foreign policy. I'm suggesting very strongly that we should have a foreign policy of non- intervention, the traditional American foreign policy and the Republican foreign policy. Throughout the 20th century, the Republican Party benefited from a non-interventionist foreign policy. Think of how Eisenhower came in to stop the Korean War. Think of how Nixon was elected to stop the mess in Vietnam. How did we win the election in the year 2000? We talked about a humble foreign policy: No nation-building; don't police the world. That's conservative, it's Republican, it's pro-American -- it follows the founding fathers. And, besides, it follows the Constitution. I tried very hard to solve this problem before we went to war by saying, "Declare war if you want to go to war. Go to war, fight it and win it, but don't get into it for political reasons or to enforce U.N. resolutions or pretend the Iraqis were a national threat to us." |
| 2. |
Republican Presidential Debate, June 5, 2007 (8/5/07)
"The sooner we come home, the better. If they declare there's no progress in September, we should come home. It was a mistake to go, so it's a mistake to stay. If we made the wrong diagnosis, we should change the treatment. So we're not making progress there and we should come home. The weapons weren't there and we went in under U.N. resolutions. And our national security was not threatened. We're more threatened now by staying." |
| 3. |
Republican Debate Transcript, South Carolina (8/4/07)
"But you have to realize that the base of the Republican Party shrunk last year because of the war issue. So that percentage represents less people. If you look at 65 to 70 percent of the American people, they want us out of there. They want the war over. In 19- -- 2002, I offerer an amendment to International Relations to declare war, up or down, and it was -- nobody voted for the war. And my argument there was, if we want to go to war, and if we should go to war, the Congress should declare it. We don't go to war like we did in Vietnam and Korea, because the wars never end. And I argued the case and made the point that it would be a quagmire if we go in. Ronald Reagan in 1983 sent Marines into Lebanon, and he said he would never turn tail and run. A few months later, the Marines were killed, 241 were killed, and the Marines were taken out. And Reagan addressed this subject in his memoirs. And he says, "I said I would never turn tail and run." He says, "But I never realized the irrationality of Middle Eastern politics," and he changed his policy there. We need the courage of a Ronald Reagan." |
| 4. |
Terrorism: Ron Paul vs. Giuliani @ SC Debate (8/4/07)
Ron Paul advocates a non-interventionist policy. |
| 5. |
Entangling Alliances Distort our Foreign Policy (7/5/07)
Paul advocates a non-interventionist foreign policy that avoids entangling alliances. |
| 6. |
Can We Afford to Occupy Iraq? (7/5/07)
American needs an exit strategy in Iraq. |
| 7. |
Defund the War by Rep. Ron Paul (7/29/07)
Representative Ron Paul wants to stop the Iraq war. |
| 8. |
Sunset of Public Law 107-243 Act of 2007 (HR 2605 IH) (7/28/07)
This is "To establish a sunset for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002" which was introduced by Ron Paul on June 7, 2007. |
| 9. |
Ron Paul Speech to Congress on 9-25-01 (10/13/07)
"Mr. Speaker, I support President Bush and voted for the authority and the money to carry out his responsibility to defend this country, but the degree of death and destruction and chances of escalation must be carefully taken into consideration." - Ron Paul |
Bill Richardson on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | De-Authorize the war and pull the troops out in 6 months |
| Description: |
Bill Richardson outlines a 7 point plan for Iraq. 1. Wants congress to de-authorize the war. 2. Pull the troops out in 6 months. 3. No residual forces left behind. 4. Promote Iraqi Reconciliation. 5. Work With All Neighbors and Allies 6. Global Cooperation in Reconstruction 7. Redeploy to Address Real Threats |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
South Carolina Democratic debate transcript (8/2/07)
"Well, first of all, I want to thank Marsha's husband for his service. And one of the enormous difficulties of this war has been the strain it's placed on our men and women in uniform. We have seen our Army and our Reserves and our National Guard all being stretched to a breaking point. And that's one of the reasons why I proposed that we're going to have to increase the size of our ground forces, so we can stop the sort of rotations that we've been placing them on, which have been putting enormous strain not only on the soldiers themselves, but also their families. But, look, we are one vote away -- we are one signature away or 16 votes away from ending this war. One signature away. Now, if the president is not going to sign the bill that has been sent to him, then what we have to do is gather up 16 votes in order to override his veto. And I think that the men and women in uniform have performed valiantly in terms of overthrowing Saddam Hussein and giving the Iraqi people an opportunity to bring their country together." |
| 2. |
Issues: Iraq (7/24/07)
Bill Richardson's plan for Iraq. |
Mitt Romney on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Seek stability in Iraq with additional troops endeavoring to secure the civilian population. |
| Description: | In Romney's speech announcing that he would run for president he said, "so long as there is a reasonable prospect of success, our wisest course is to seek stability in Iraq, with additional troops endeavoring to secure the civilian population." He argued that instability in Iraq could lead to civil war and that "Iraq's Sunni region could become a base for al-Qaeda; that its Shia region could be seized by Iran; that Kurd tension could destabilize Turkey; and even that the broader Middle East could be drawn into conflict." He says that this "could mean a future with far more military involvement and far more loss of American life." |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
Republican Debate Transcript, South Carolina (8/4/07)
"I want to make it very clear that I'm not going to raise taxes. As governor of Massachusetts, I made it very clear there, and I did not raise taxes. We faced a huge budget gap, and I went in and said, you know, what? I know some people want to raise taxes, but that's going to hurt working families and scare away jobs. I recognize that raising taxes could also lead to a slowdown in our economy, and so we didn't do it. We balanced our budget, and that's exactly what I'll do with the federal government. They key thing you have to consider, as you look at what's happening in the federal government, is that Washington is broken. We need to have fundamental change in the way business in Washington is carried out. What that means is we're going to have to have leadership that can reorganize the government. We're going to have about 40 percent of the government employees turn over in the next couple of terms. And if we can -- we can reduce the employment there, but more importantly, is to go through all the agencies, all the departments, all the programs and cut out the unnecessary and the wasteful. We're also going to have to do something we talk about on in Iraq. We all talked about benchmarks. Well, how about benchmarks in Washington? Let's lay out what we're going to get done, and instead of just talking about the same old same old, let's streamline and make Washington more efficient." |
| 2. |
Governor Mitt Romney's Presidential Announcement (7/19/07)
Speech Romney gave when he declared he was running for president and talks about Iraq. |
| 3. |
Ignoring Romney's Iraq falsehood, Wash. Post called Huckabee's Reagan remark the "Gaffe of the Night" (7/19/07)
Talks about the error Romney made when talking about the U.N. inspectors in Iraq. |
Tom Tancredo on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Eventual Withdrawal |
| Description: | Tancredo opposes the troop surge and calls for disengagement to "let regional powers and Iraqi factions cooperate to forge a new balance of power" by November 2007. Tancredo cosponsored the 2002 House resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq. During an exchange between Giuliani and Paul at the May 2007 Republican debate over whether U.S. foreign policy in Iraq might have caused 9/11, Tancredo interjected to say "they would be trying to kill us [even if we were not in Iraq], because it is a dictate of their religion, at least a part of it. And we have to defend ourselves." |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
Iraq Troop Surge Debate (7/24/07)
Tom speaks to the house about Iraq. |
| 2. |
The Candidates on Iraq (7/24/07)
A summary of his stance. |
| 3. |
Tancredo on Iraq (7/24/07)
An interview with Tancredo on Iraq |
Tommy Thompson on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Have Iraqi parliament vote on whether the U.S. forces should remain in Iraq, hold local elections in Iraq, and split the Iraqi oil into thirds between the government, the territories, and the people of Iraq. |
| Description: | Thompson says talk of withholding funding or withdrawing forces in the short run is "shortsighted and counterproductive." But he acknowledges the difficulties in resolving the conflict, adding: "It is unrealistic for us to believe we're going to end these divisions and force peace upon people who do not share our goals." Thompson supports a three-step plan: first, have the Iraqi parliament vote on whether U.S. forces should remain in Iraq; second, hold local elections in all of Iraq's eighteen provinces; third, Iraqi oil should be split three ways, with one-third to the federal government, one-third to the territories, and one-third to the Iraqi people. This way, he argued in a May 2007 Republican debate, all Iraqis will "feel they have a stake in their government." |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
Republican Debate Transcript, South Carolina (8/4/07)
"There is no question that the al-Maliki government needs to step up and do what is right. The United States government has been there for four years. We've lost many individuals -- 3,400 individuals as of today, and it's time for the al-Maliki to vote whether or not they want us in the fifth year to stay in their country or whether or not they want us to go home. Secondly, if in fact they do allow the 18 territories, which, geographically defined, allow them to elect their leaders like we elect the 50 governors and 50 legislatures in the United States, they will elect individuals that they would feel -- are comfortable with them, that they are -- feel that they have a stake in their government. And if you split the oil revenues -- one-third to the federal government, one-third to the territories, and one-third to every man, woman and child -- every man, woman and child will feel they have a stake in their government, stake in their country, and they'll start using that money for peace and for building businesses and making sure they build their country. That's why my plan will work, and it will win the peace in Iraq." |
| 2. |
Tommy Thompson on Iraq (7/24/07)
A video of a speech he gave about Iraq |
| 3. |
The Candidates on Iraq (7/24/07)
Thompson says talk of withholding funding or withdrawing forces in the short run is "shortsighted and counterproductive." But he acknowledges the difficulties in resolving the conflict, adding: "It is unrealistic for us to believe we're going to end these divisions and force peace upon people who do not share our goals." Thompson supports a three-step plan: first, have the Iraqi parliament vote on whether U.S. forces should remain in Iraq; second, hold local elections in all of Iraq's eighteen provinces; third, Iraqi oil should be split three ways, with one-third to the federal government, one-third to the territories, and one-third to the Iraqi people. This way, he argued in a May 2007 Republican debate, all Iraqis will "feel they have a stake in their government." |
Fred Thompson on Iraq Plan
More on this candidate
| Stance: | Supports the war |
| Description: | Thompson said in March 2007 that he would do "essentially what the president's doing" on Iraq, though he noted that mistakes have to be "rectified." He said he has "faith" in General David Petraeus' leadership: "We need to take advantage of any opportunity we've got down there." If the U.S. pulls out of Iraq under "bad circumstances," Thompson warned, then Iraq will become a "haven for terrorists" and the resulting instability could lead Sunni countries to develop nuclear weapons as a counterweight to Iran's nuclear program. |
| Citations: |
| 1. |
Fred Thompson Speech on Iraq (7/24/07)
A speech he gave in London about Iraq. |
| 2. |
Fred on the issues (7/24/07)
A laundry list of issues that Fred answers when interview by Fox News |
| 3. |
The Candidates on the Iraq War (7/24/07)
His stance on Iraq. He supports it. |
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