Richardson Seeks Total Withdrawal

[JLB]

http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/6/10/112031.shtml?s=lh

WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson said Sunday he wanted a total withdrawal of U.S. forces in Iraq and that American troops are targets in a civil war.

"I would leave no troops in Iraq whatsoever," Richardson said. "The difference between me and the other candidates is, they would leave troops there indefinitely, and I would not."

Richardson says U.S. troops should be redeployed by the end of the year to Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf. Other Democratic presidential candidates also advocate troop withdrawals but leave room for residual forces.

The Bush administration envisions a decades-long U.S. presence in Iraq.

One Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, said, "We aren't talking about staying forever." But he said a long-term training and advisory presence is possible.

"The fact is that if we can withdraw to bases and then eventually close those bases and come home, that's the plan," the Arizona senator said.

McCain said it's a shame that "September seems to be a magic moment" for deciding whether President Bush's troop surge in Iraq is working. Bush is due to receive an assessment then from Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Baghdad.

"I'm hoping that he would come back and say, `We've achieved a certain measure of success,' to give us some hope and optimism," McCain said. "I'm hoping that can happen, but not in my wildest dreams do I expect him to come back and say, `Everything's fine now,' just a few months after we've adopted a new strategy. That would be crazy."

Richardson spoke on CNN's "Late Edition." McCain's interview last week with ABC's "This Week" aired Sunday.

© 2007 Associated Press.

[Green Lantern]

He's wants to pull out? Typical Catholic.

[Gilly]

typical democrat...

[Shama-Lama Ding Dong]

He's wants to pull out? Typical Catholic.

bellis interruptus

[Shama-Lama Ding Dong]

typical democrat...

But you've forgotten about our Democrat wars ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dole

[Papaduke]

Instead of that pathetic article about Richardson that describes the plan in 3 short paragraphs here is the full plan. (http://www.richardsonforpresident.com/issues/iraq):

The Iraq War is costing Americans $8 billion each month. By implementing my plan to de-authorize the war and withdraw ALL troops in six months, we can start redirecting these funds toward what matters most for Americans: improving education, expanding access to quality health care, and addressing the REAL security threats like the Taliban, nuclear proliferation, and global warming. My seven-point ‘New Realism Plan for Iraq’ describes in detail what is required:

De-Authorize the War Now
President Bush has demonstrated neither competence nor honesty nor a sense of reality in his conduct of this war. Congress should immediately assert its constitutional authority and pass a resolution de-authorizing the war under Article I of the US Constitution and the War Powers Act.

Troops Out in Six Months
Once it has de-authorized this war, Congress should set a military pull-out date and appropriate funds accordingly for the re-deployment of troops. My military advisers and I believe we can fully re-deploy within six months of de-authorization. Our continued presence in Iraq only fuels the insurgency, strengthens Al Qaeda, and enables the Iraqi factions to delay making the hard political choices they need to make to end the civil war.

No Residual Forces Left Behind
We must remove ALL of our troops. There should be no residual US forces left in Iraq. Most Iraqis, and most others in the region, believe that we are there for their oil, and this perception is exploited by Al Qaeda, other insurgents, and anti-American Shia groups. By announcing that we intend to remove ALL troops, we would deprive them of this propaganda tool. And once all US troops are out of Iraq, Al Qaeda foreigners will no longer be able to justify their presence there, and the Iraqis will drive them out.

Promote Iraqi Reconciliation
We should promote an Iraqi Reconciliation Conference to bring the factions together to seek compromises and to begin confidence-building measures, including the end of militia violence. Our redeployment will give us more leverage than we have now, caught in the crossfire, to get the Iraqis to reconcile.

Work With All Neighbors and Allies
We should convene a regional conference to secure the cooperation of all of Iraq's neighbors -- including Syria and Iran -- in promoting peace and stability. Among the key objectives of such a conference should be guarantees of non-interference, as well as the creation of a multilateral force of UN peacekeepers. The US should support such a force, but it should be composed of non-US, primarily Muslim troops.

Global Cooperation in Reconstruction
We should convene a donor conference to fund Iraq's reconstruction. The United States needs to show the world that we intend to return to our tradition of being a trusted leader, not a unilateralist loner. The process of disengagement is an opportunity for us to show that we have turned the corner, and that we intend to rebuild our alliances, respect international law, and work with the international community.

Redeploy to Address Real Threats
We must redeploy some of our troops to Afghanistan to stop the resurgence of the Taliban and to fight the real terrorists who attacked this country on 9-11. While all American troops in Iraq must be removed, we need to maintain a military presence in the region, in countries like Kuwait where they are welcome. We must always have the capacity to use air power, special forces and other means to strike Al Qaeda anywhere. We do not need American troops in Iraq to perform this essential task.

We also must bring our National Guard home where they are needed for homeland security, and we must focus our energy and resources on real threats, such as nuclear proliferation, Al Qaeda, public health, and global warming.

[JLB]

Instead of that pathetic article about Richardson that describes the plan in 3 short paragraphs here is the full plan. (http://www.richardsonforpresident.com/issues/iraq):

Great article will he start getting some traction with this?

[Papaduke]

He is starting to get traction in NH & Iowa where he is in double digits and slowly moving from tier 2 to tier 1. He has a pretty good ad campaign that highlights his experience and a pretty good sense of humor.

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[JLB]

He is starting to get traction in NH & Iowa where he is in double digits and slowly moving from tier 2 to tier 1. He has a pretty good ad campaign that highlights his experience and a pretty good sense of humor.

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I appreciate the fact that he's very clear on where he stands.
He deserves more attention and I'm glad he's finally starting to get it.
Being a governor puts him ahead of these Senators for me.
I wish him good luck he faces a real machine in Hillary.
As all democrat candidates do at this time.