End war in Iraq, focus on Afghanistan, Barack Obama says
The Democrat works to bolster his foreign policy credentials. John McCain, also calling for more troops in Afghanistan, says that Obama should see the situation for himself before he talks strategy.
WASHINGTON -- Presidential candidate Barack Obama, seeking to burnish his foreign policy credentials in advance of a trip to Europe and the Middle East next week, said this morning that ending the war in Iraq responsibly and defeating terrorist groups in Afghanistan were his top objectives.
The presumed Democratic nominee outlined positions that separate him from his Republican challenger, John McCain, who promptly denounced Obama's plans at a campaign stop in New Mexico.
"By any measure, our single-minded and open-ended focus on Iraq is not a sound strategy for keeping America safe," Obama said in his speech here, which continued a theme he has outlined before: Afghanistan, not Iraq, should be the centerpiece of the war on terrorism.
"As should have been apparent to President Bush and Sen. McCain," Obama said, "the central front in the war on terror is not Iraq, and it never was."
Obama restated his vow to withdraw combat troops from Iraq within 16 months of becoming president. That, he said, would free up the resources needed to fight Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
"Our troops and our NATO allies are performing heroically in Afghanistan, but I have argued for years that we lack the resources to finish the job because of our commitment to Iraq," Obama said. "I will make the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban the top priority that it should be. This is a war that we have to win."
Speaking at a town hall meeting in Albuquerque, McCain retorted:
"Sen. Obama will tell you we can't win in Afghanistan without losing in Iraq. In fact, he has it exactly backward. It is precisely the success of the surge in Iraq that shows us the way to succeed in Afghanistan.
"I know how to win wars," McCain said. "And if I'm elected president, I will turn around the war in Afghanistan, just as we have turned around the war in Iraq, with a comprehensive strategy for victory."
McCain also said he would capture Osama bin Laden.
In his speech, Obama said he would send additional troops -- two combat brigades -- to Afghanistan. Painting a broad approach for foreign relations, Obama also called for securing nuclear weapons from terrorists, achieving energy security and rebuilding alliances.
"As president, I will pursue a tough, smart and principled national security strategy -- one that recognizes that we have interests not just in Baghdad, but in Kandahar and Karachi, in Tokyo and London, in Beijing and Berlin," Obama said.
