Iraq exit timeline draws criticism

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama announced a timetable Friday for a drastic reduction in troops but failed to satisfy war critics who objected to his plans to leave behind a substantial “transitional force.”

Obama, who has opposed the war from its start, outlined his vision for leaving Iraq on stable footing. But he said Iraq’s leaders are responsible for ensuring the country’s peace and guiding its future.

“Let me say this as plainly as I can: By Aug. 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end,” Obama said, adding later: “We seek a full transition to Iraqi responsibility for the security of your country.”

The troop plan drew both support and opposition from surprising quarters. During the presidential campaign, Obama repeatedly squared off with his rival Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who considered the proposed withdrawal to be an irresponsible retreat. But after being briefed on Obama’s timetable, McCain praised the decision, saying he believed the plan would “lead to success”

Democrats, however, including Senate Armed Services Chairman Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., expressed concern that the transitional force of between 35,000 and 50,000 troops that will remain after August 2010 was too large.

The units staying behind would advise Iraqis, protect civilians and conduct counterterrorism missions, administration officials said.

Obama announced his troop plan before an audience of Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C. The timeline represents a compromise between Obama’s campaign promise for a 16-month withdrawal and military commanders, who preferred a 23-month wind-down.

Although the new plan aligned fairly closely with his campaign promises, the rhetoric of President Obama stood in sharp contrast with the speeches he delivered as candidate Obama.

At Camp Lejeune, Obama praised the military’s performance, saying the conflict in Iraq “has been one of the most extraordinary chapters of service in the history of our nation.”

Obama was applauded by Marines as he recounted the military’s successes in Iraq including toppling Saddam Hussein and helping establish a new government. But in an interview later on PBS, Obama drew a distinction between military success and the strategy of the Bush administration. “I don’t think we can rightly say the strategy cooked up by our civilian leadership, with respect to either going in the first place or how the war was managed, was a success,” Obama said.

Perhaps seeking to blunt Democratic criticism on the plans for a transitional force, Obama emphasized that under current security agreements with Iraq, the U.S. would have all of its troops out of the country by the end of 2011.

Senior administration officials emphasized that there were no plans for any sort of long-term presence, akin to the U.S. garrisons in Germany and South Korea.

But U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, speaking to reporters after the announcement, said that the U.S. should be ready to provide continuing help after 2011 if the Iraqis request it.

“My own view would be that we should be prepared to have some very modest-sized presence for training, helping them with their new equipment, and providing perhaps intelligence support,” Gates said.

There are about 142,000 U.S. forces in Iraq.