Obama to Edwards: You're late on leadership

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Sen. Barack Obama bristled at former Sen. John Edwards' contention that he and Sen. Hillary Clinton remained safely quiet on calling for a plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.

"The fact is that I opposed this war from the start," the Illinois senator told Edwards. "So you're about four and a half years late on leadership on this issue. And, you know, I think it's important not to play politics on something that is as critical and as difficult as this."

He added, "It is not easy to vote for cutting off funding, because the fact is, there are troops on the ground."

- CNN Associate Producer Taylor Gandossy