In the past, Obama has stressed his plan to begin a withdrawal immediately and complete it within 16 months. But he has carefully hedged, leaving the option of taking more time if needed. His website, however, flatly states that he would "have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months."
On Thursday, Obama shifted his emphasis in his first news conference, choosing to stress his need to consult with the military's top leaders.
"I've always said that I would listen to commanders on the ground. I've always said the pace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability. That assessment has not changed," he said. "And when I go to Iraq and have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I'm sure I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies."
He also chose not to make a case for the hard timeline that he laid out in the primary season. "My 16-month timeline, if you examine everything that I've said, was always premised on making sure that our troops were safe," he said.
Obama's statements led to news reports that he was backing away from his plan.
The stories eclipsed the purpose of his trip to North Dakota, which was to call for improved benefits for veterans.
The Obama campaign quickly realized that his comments had caused confusion and sent an e-mail to reporters with a series of his past statements on Iraq to try to show his position was unchanged.
Then Obama reemerged. He looked and sounded frustrated. "We're going to try this again," he said. "Apparently, I was not clear enough this morning."
This time, he forcefully laid out his withdrawal proposal.
"Let me be as clear as I can be. I intend to end this war," he said. "On my first day in office, I will bring the Joint Chiefs of Staff in and I will give them a new mission, and that is to end this war responsibly, deliberately but decisively. And I have seen no information that contradicts the notion that we can bring our troops out safely at a pace of one to two brigades a month. And again, that pace translates into having our combat troops out in 16 months' time."
Although the economy has been the dominant issue on the campaign trail in recent weeks, the candidates have frequently sparred over Iraq.
