FARGO, N.D. — Barack Obama struggled Thursday to explain his plan to end the war in Iraq, calling a rare do-over news conference to insist that he was not softening his campaign pledge to withdraw all combat troops within 16 months of becoming president.
"That position has not changed. I have not equivocated on that position. I have not searched for maneuvering room with respect to that position," he said.
In his initial remarks on an airport tarmac here, Obama had emphasized caveats that seemed to suggest his timetable might slip, saying he would "refine" his policies after he consulted with U.S. generals on a trip to Iraq he plans to make this summer.
The confusion underscored the challenge Obama confronts on his signature issue. In the primary season, he stressed his promise to bring the troops home by a firm date, and it helped propel him to become the likely Democratic nominee. Now, as he faces an opponent who is a war hero, and tailors his message to the broader electorate, he is also trying to present himself as a commander in chief who will listen to the military brass.
Obama's attempts to explain his stance could leave some Democratic voters disenchanted. Since locking up the nomination, he has moved toward the political center. He has downplayed his criticism of the North American Free Trade Agreement, opted not to stick to campaign spending caps and backed a bill that bars invasion-of-privacy lawsuits against phone companies that cooperated with President Bush's wiretapping program.
Larry Ceisler, a Democratic political consultant, said he was not surprised Obama sought to persuade voters that he was not backing down.
"Maybe the war issue, on top of everything else, was a little too much a little too fast. And he needed to reassure his base that, on this hallmark issue, his position today is no different from when he started this campaign," Ceisler said.
Republicans moved quickly to exploit the commotion over Obama's comments.
"Iraq was the defining issue of Obama's primary campaign, and now it is defining him as the self-interested, typical politician he really is," Republican National Committee spokesman Alex Conant said. "Obama's Iraq problem undermines the central premise of his candidacy and shows he places political expedience above everything and anything else."
