PEORIA, Ill. U.S. Senator Barack Obama says he hopes to get a better understanding of when it might be appropriate to decrease the United State's presence in Iraq during his first trip to that country next month.
Obama leaves for the ten-day trip January Fourth. It will include stops in Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Israel, as well as Iraq.
The Democratic freshman senator from Illinois spoke yesterday with the editorial board of the Journal Star in Peoria.
He reiterated his opposition to an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq -- but says the U.S. needs a plan to pull out in phases after next week's parliamentary elections.
Obama says the U.S. also needs to be prepared to support the Iraqi elections' outcome, even if it's not what the administration might be hoping for.