Five years ago, the U.S. invaded Iraq. The goal: to find and destroy dangerous, illegal weapons and remove from power Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein. No illegal weapons were found. But Hussein was captured and tried for crimes against his people. Since then, the Iraqis have voted in free elections. But violence and terror attacks stand in the way of the democratic process. In January 2007, President George W. Bush ordered additional U.S. forces to supplement the troops already there. The "surge" of troops has had some success. But the conflict has taken a heavy toll on both Iraqis and Americans. More than 4,000 members of the U.S. military have died since the conflict began. The war effort costs the U.S. more than $9 billion each month.

John McCain supported the invasion of Iraq and still does. But he criticized the way that President Bush and his administration fought the war. McCain called for a change in strategy and an increase in the number of troops. He supports the surge and believes that an even greater military commitment is necessary in order to combat terrorism and violence. McCain says that U.S. forces should remain in Iraq as long as necessary to achieve a lasting peace.

Barack Obama opposes the use of military force in Iraq. He spoke out against the war from the beginning. Obama promises that as President he will immediately begin to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq and will have all combat troops out of the country within 16 months.