Iraq
In October 2002, before being elected to the U.S. Senate, Barack Obama made a speech opposing the Bush Administration's plan to go to war in Iraq because he felt it was an ill-conceived venture which would "require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undermined cost, with undetermined consequences."
Now, as a U.S. Senator, Senator Obama has continued to critique the Administration's mishandling of this war, and believes that while our troops have done an outstanding job in Iraq, there can be no military solution to what is inherently a political conflict between Iraq's warring factions. The only hope to end this burgeoning civil war is for Shias, Sunnis, and Kurds to come together and resolve their differences. That's why Senator Obama agrees with the Iraq Study Group's conclusion that we must begin a phased redeployment of American troops to signal to the government and people of Iraq that ours is not an open-ended commitment.
To set a new course for U.S. policy that can bring a responsible end to the war, Senator Obama introduced the Iraq War De-escalation Act in January 2007. The legislation would have begun a redeployment of U.S. forces no later than May 1, 2007, with the goal of removing all combat brigades from Iraq by March 31, 2008, a date that was consistent with the expectation of the Iraq Study Group.
The Obama plan allows for a limited number of U.S. troops to remain as basic force protection, to pursue international terrorists, and to continue the training of Iraqi security forces. If the Iraqis are successful in meeting the 13 benchmarks for progress laid out by the Bush Administration, this plan also allows for the temporary suspension of the redeployment, provided Congress agrees that the benchmarks have been met and that the suspension is in the national security interest of the United States. (More info: Press Release on Iraq War De-escalation Act and Senator Obama's Speech about the Bill.)
Since this legislation was introduced, Senator Obama has continued to be a strong advocate for legislative actions that could bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end. He opposes funding for the war in Iraq that does not immediately begin the responsible removal of our troops from Iraq, with a clear timeline and end-date for this drawdown.
Senator Obama has also stressed the importance of holding private security contractors like Blackwater USA accountable to ensure that their conduct is not jeopardizing our military's efforts to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end. In February 2007, he introduced the Transparency and Accountability in Military and Security Contracting Act (S.674) to require accountability and enhanced congressional oversight for personnel performing private security functions under federal contracts. Components of this bill that require new reporting on the role of contractors operating in Iraq and new regulations on selection, training, and equipping of security contractors were signed into law as part of the FY08 National Defense Authorization Act. Senator Obama is working to pass other components of the bill to increase accountability of security contractors operating in war zones by subjecting them to U.S. criminal law.
Speeches
In two major speeches, Senator Obama laid out his views on the war and how America's involvement in the war needs to change.
- Remarks of Senator Barack Obama on the Iraq War - March 21, 2007
- Speech to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs - November 20, 2006
- Speech to the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations - November 22, 2005
Other Statements on Iraq
- Statement on the Senate Floor - January 19, 2007
- Podcast: Against an Escalation in Iraq - January 3, 2007
- Statement on the Senate Floor - June 21, 2006