Student Queries Edwards on Iraq War

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

Student queries Edwards on Iraq war

HANOVER, N.H. - An eighth-grader pressed Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards on Thursday about why he couldn't guarantee that U.S. troops would be out of Iraq by the end of the next president's first term.

The exchange came at Richmond Middle School hours after the Democratic debate Wednesday night. Edwards and leading rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama conceded that they couldn't ensure that U.S. forces would be out of Iraq by the end of the term in 2013. "I cannot make that commitment," Edwards said during the debate.

On Thursday, Eighth-grader James Harvard told Edwards that several other Democrats had made that guarantee. "Last night, I watched the debate and Congressman Kucinich said he would end the war in three months and you said it would take a whole term, and I was wondering why," Harvard said.

Edwards told Harvard that the United States has troops in many parts of the world, and the key issue is combat troops. If elected, "I would have combat troops out of Iraq in about nine months," he said.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070927/ap_on_el_pr/edwards_new_hampshire

[obama_girl]

1. He's lucky he wasn't tased

bro

[Sequoia]

2. Beat me to it!

[jsamuel]

3. Because he will keep people to guard the Iraq embassy, as every other embassy in the world is guarde

d. Richardson will do the same.

Kucinich, from what I understand would close the embassy.

[JDPriestly]

5. Kucinich is realistic. The Iraqi will decide whether we keep an embassy there.

I doubt they will allow it.

[JDPriestly]

4. I am an Edwards supporter,

but I disagree with him about keeping an embassy in Iraq after our pull-out. I doubt that the majority in Iraq will want any U.S. presence there. Only if he succeeds in getting the support of the countries neighboring Iraq with regard to the pull-out and promises that we will keep a very low profile in Iraq and neighboring countries will we be able to maintain any long-term diplomatic ties with Iraq after what we have done there. We have friends but they are few and far between. People tend not to like people who kill members of their families, their friends, their neighbors, etc. It is just a fact of life. Bush has lost the War for the hearts and minds of the people of Iraq. He alone is responsible for the horrible fiasco of our foreign policy. He could fire Condi. He could have chosen a different vice president. He lacked the understanding and integrity to take the right steps. He is a loser. He has betrayed our country by his short-sighted, careless management of our affairs. We will be chased out of Iraq, tarred and feathered. Forget just taking out combat troops. Would the Vietnamese have allowed us to keep an embassy there immediately after the war? I do not think so. That is not the way the world works.

[slick8790]

6. That's a question an 8th grader would ask.

And JE gave the responsible answer. Answers guaranteeing all combat troops out don't account for any thing that could happen between now and 2013. Saying you guarantee everyone out by any certain date is an 8th grade answer to an 8th grade question. The real world doesn't deal in absolutes, and I think the candidates who made those pledges last night made irresponsible statements in doing so. That's not to say that is an excuse for not ending the war. But all democrats (yes, even hillary) have plans to draw down our combat troops there and end the war.