Obama outlines withdrawal from Iraq

Announcing an end date to a six-year-long war he opposed and campaigned against, President Obama Friday said he will bring home more than 90,000 troops from Iraq over the next 18 months.

“Let me say this as plainly as I can: By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end,” Mr. Obama declared at Camp Lejeune, a sprawling military base in North Carolina that houses the largest concentration of Marines and Navy personnel in the world.

Mr. Obama, acknowledging “difficult days ahead” as the U.S. acts to give Iraqis full responsibility with the aim of a “sovereign, stable and self-reliant” country, said that up to 50,000 troops would remain after the deadline to train, equip and advise Iraqi security forces and conduct counterterrorism missions.

The plan drew praise from voters, military leaders and lawmakers, including his rival for the presidency, Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, but it did raise some concerns among anti-war groups and Democrats such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat.

Rep. Lynn Woolsey, California Democrat and co-founder of the Out-of-Iraq caucus, said she was “deeply troubled,” called the residual troop force level “unacceptable,” and reminded the president he won the election in part because of his promise to end the war.

Mr. Obama praised the military’s efforts but stopped shy of crediting the Bush administration’s troop surge, which the White House said quelled violence but didn’t produce the promised political reconciliation on the ground.

The president called former President George W. Bush before the speech, in what was described as a brief, cordial courtesy call. He also called Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to detail the plan and to get his agreement that Christopher Hill would serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Iraq.

The troops cheered for the president and received him warmly, not a major surprise, especially since his frequent campaign visits to North Carolina - including in military strongholds - helped him win the longtime Republican-leaning “red” state in November. It was Mr. Obama’s first visit to a military base since becoming commander in chief Jan. 20.

Since the war began in March 2003 and Saddam Hussein was toppled, more than 4,200 U.S. troops have been killed.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, the lone Cabinet holdover fromthe Bush administration, said there is no set timeline for how many troops would come home and when.

“There will be drawdowns this year of combat brigades, but in terms of how many and when, I think we’ll wait and get the specific recommendations from General [Ray] Odierno,” he said, referring to the commander of troops in Iraq.

Should conditions on the ground change, the troops remaining would be capable of combat, Mr. Gates said.

While speaking to the Marines - many of whom will be redeployed to Afghanistan as part of the president’s plan to add 17,000 troops there - Mr. Obama touted his own budget proposals to give the military a pay raise and help veterans, and promised that his administration would make military families a top priority.

After the speech, he met with wounded Marines and their families.

Mr. Obama said the U.S. will help Iraq build international trade and commerce to make sure it will not support or be a safe haven for terrorists.

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