July 21, 2008

Obama's World Tour

Senator Barack Obama visits Iraq and Afghanistan during a weeklong trip overseas

By Vickie An

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama arrived in Iraq early Monday to meet with leaders of the war-torn country and with United States military chiefs. The one-day visit was part of a weeklong overseas tour that began in Afghanistan on Sunday. The Illinois senator is traveling with Republican Senator Chuck Hagel and Democratic Senator Jack Reed. The group stopped in Kuwait before continuing to Iraq.

IRAQI GOVERNMENT/AP Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki (left) and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad (center), greet Senator Obama in Baghdad on Monday.

A Whirlwind Day

On Monday, Obama visited the city of Basra, which is in southern Iraq. Here, Obama got a firsthand look at recent security gains. Basra is the center for about 4,000 British troops that are helping to train Iraqi forces. Obama also met with the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and other military chiefs. They briefed Obama on the progress of the war in Iraq in recent months.

Obama has long been an opponent of the Iraq invasion. He believes that the U.S. should focus more military efforts and resources on battling the Taliban and al-Qaida in Afghanistan. U.S. military officials report that violence in Afghanistan has increased from last year.

Forging Ahead

Meanwhile, violence in Iraq has dropped to its lowest level in four years. The White House and many U.S. military leaders credit the decline to last year's surge of more than 30,000 troops sent to aid the 130,000 forces already stationed in Iraq. President George W. Bush ordered the surge in January 2007. Today, there are about 147,000 U.S. soldiers on duty in the country. Republican presidential hopeful Senator John McCain was an early supporter of the surge strategy.

In Baghdad, Iraq's capital, Obama met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, President Jalal Talabani and other Iraqi leaders. They reportedly discussed Obama's proposal to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq by 2010.

Following the talks, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told reporters that the withdrawal plan is something Iraqi officials would welcome. But Al-Dabbagh made it clear that the Iraqi government does not support a fixed withdrawal date. He also noted that any plans for a U.S. troop pullout could change if violence levels rise again. "We had a very constructive discussion," Obama said, as he left the meeting in Baghdad's heavily protected Green Zone.

The Great Debate

There is continuing debate over when to remove U.S. troops from Iraq. President Bush has refused to set specific dates for withdrawal. However, last week, the Bush administration offered to discuss a "general time horizon" to bring U.S. soldiers home. White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said the U.S. shares the goal of pulling out troops based on the success of security in Iraq.

"The key issue is that they understand . . . it will not be a date that you just pluck out of thin air," Perino said. "It will not be something that Americans say, 'We're going to leave at this date,' which is what some have suggested."

Obama visited Iraq in 2006, but this was his first trip to the country since announcing his run for presidency. He is also scheduled to visit Jordan, Israel and several European capitals this week.

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