Mike in Baghdad, Iraq. Thank you for serving our country. I live 10 miles from John's house and would not want to live anyplace else. All I have to say Thank you and bless you.

how can CNN not have a single headline story on the good news coming out of Iraq?

civilian deaths down 50%, lowest US casualty totals in ages…yet CNN has not a peep on it!

Using the same statistical model that the U.S. employs here, our allies England and Australia have released prestigious studies both showing over 1 million deaths in Iraq following Bush's unprovoked attack. The Bush regime SAYS they did this with UN mandate, but Kofi Anan has PLAINLY stated that the U.S. violated the UN charter with the attack. Iraq was swarming with UN weapons inspectors whom Bush ordered to LEAVE prior to the attack. No democracy has ever been created by pre-emptive invasion, as if it our job to force our way of life on other countries anyway. There is a reason that America is starkly alone in the world today….we've gone from wearing the "white hat" as we did in WWII against the Nazis and Imperial Japan, to BEING the invader. And the Hydrocarbon Act penned by U.S. oil companies' supervision, and used by Bush as one of his "benchmarks" in Iraq to give them back their own country, confirms what has been obvious all along and recently confirmed by that wild-eyed liberal Alan Greenspan….this war, while first sold as defense against phantom WMDs, then touted as "bringing freedom to the Iraqi people", was all about oil and power. How sad to see our great country take such an immoral turn as the average Joe and Jane are too busy noting Britney Spears' weight gain to care about what Bush and Cheney have done to the soul and reputation of America. Just wait until they Iraq Iran! Heaven help our troops and country then.

a shout out to hawnstyle:

What a hoot! The GOP candidates are the ones wearing the flip-flops - turning themselves inside out to smooch the evangelical base - who may run a 3rd party candidate if the current crop doesn't get religion soon.

The true hypocrisy is saying that the GOP candidates are "evolving" … in a party that does not believe in evolution …

Mitt was for (choice, gay marriage, government health care) before he was against it.

John Starnes Tampa Florida - Yes I am in Baghdad. You talk about polling Iraqis for their opinions and that shows your naiveté on the hard issues of Iraq. There have not been 1 million Iraqis killed since 2003. I patrol a portion of Baghdad every day and all the Iraqis I speak with say the same thing - do not leave now. They understand the impact of the departure of our forces on the future of their nation.

I would also add one more thing to the discussion on Iraq; I hear a lot of people talk about the US at war, but the only ones at war are Soldiers and Marines. The average American is not touched by the war and is more concerned with getting the latest iPhone or what Britney Spears is doing then with the complexities of counterinsurgent warfare in Iraq. Anyone who thinks they "know" anything about Iraq who hasn't spent a week in Baghdad is truely misinformed. This is the most complex warfare the nation has ever conducted. The bipartisan decision, backed by UN resolutions, to go to war was not an easy decision and the myopic view of "let's pull them out now" is frankly so short sighted that it is truely dangerous. Counterinsurgent warfare is NOT won in a month or 6 months or a year. It will take a lot of time and effort as the President said early in the war this is a long war.

It is dishonest to say all of the troops can be out within a year or two. It's probably irresponsible to take EVERYBODY out within 4 years. But all the democrats agree that the numbers can be WAY DOWN within 4 years. Mr. Dodd knows this- I think he's being a little disingenuous

I think what the debate over Iraq comes down to is if you were living in Iraq before the invasion and after the invastion were you glad it happened? I would be, no matter how high the level of violence is I now elect my leaders, I have rights, Saddamm can no longer rape and beat my family at will. I would be grateful for the United States for giving me and my family the opportunity to govern my own country. Poll after poll confirms that the majority of Iraqis do NOT want us to leave right now.

The three stooges, oh sorry. The top tier are the biggest hypocrits on the planet. They slam General Patraeus in regards to bringing the troops home immediately, yet when the question is posed to them, they shrivel up. NO EXCUSES!!! HYPOCRITS… FLIP FLOPPERS. This will go far for the GOP in the general election…

Mike in Baghdad (if you are actually there)…the U.S. invasion of Iraq was unprovoked and a direct violation of both the Geneva Conventions and the UN charter that this great country signed and expects all others to honor, hence the "rogue nation" label being fully appropriate. Over 1 MILLION Iraqis have died as a result of the invasion, with 4 MILLION displaced within and outside of Iraq….that is hardly "helping the Iraqi people". Poll after poll after poll taken in Iraq since the invasion has shown that the vast majority of them see us as occupying invaders and want us OUT. And a very high percentage express full approval of their fellow citizens attacking U.S. soldiers there…those poor souls hardly feel "liberated". Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9-11 or Bin Laden (he and Saddam were sworn enemies), NOTHING to do with WMDs, and everything to do with making corporate powers even more wealthy, turning the U.S. even more into an empire builder, and insuring control of the oil there. During the initial invasion, Saddam's ammo dumps were left UNGUARDED while oil fields WERE guarded…they were quickly cleaned out of vast amounts of ammo soon used against U.S. soldiers. How anyone in or outside of Iraq can put a positive spin on this multi-level crime against humanity is shocking and saddening. Impeach Bush and Cheney now before they do a number on oil-rich Iran!

Like it or not: we've destabilized the Gulf, if not the entire Middle East by invading Iraq. If we pull out completely, that leaves Iran firmly in control of Iraq. While it's inevitable that they'll have a great deal of influence, giving them Iraq as a playground isn't prudent from the perspective of the United States. I could go on about genocide, a Sunni-Shiite proxy war, etc, but why depress everyone on a nice Sunday afternoon?
PLUS, Democrats' strongest argument against a combat mission in Iraq is that Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11. However, it's completely plausible that if the U.S. pulls out all troops, Al Quaeda would move in and try to launch terrorist attacks from there. If just one succeeded, we'd be right back in the soup, probably with a lot more than 170,000 troops, no argument to give for getting out, and no way to "win." The best alternative is a small force with a limited mission of combating terrorism and preventing as much genocidal violence as possible. I trust a Democratic president and Congress to see it that way far more than their Republican counterparts.

Anybody suprised that nobody wants the Fall of Saigon to happen on their watch? Whichever president pulls us out and allows the collapse sees the destruction of their party in the polls for some great legth of time thereafter. I wouldn't put too much stock in the public rallying around the decision once times get tough. The public is remarkably fickle and $8 a gallon gasoline is more than sufficient to tick them off. No Democrat wants to be consigned to a single term in office and destruction of their congressional majority by taking this precipitous step.

Though, this does beg the question, since both parties now have essentially the same stance on the war what purpose is there in raising it as a campaign issue?

Dodd is absolutely correct, we need to be completely out of Iraq about as fast as we can drive our equipment over the borders, and not stay in the region but return to our own shores. This however does not mean OTHERS will not have to go clean up the mess we have made,or that we won't have to pay the bill. It is like this "we have invaded and destroyed their homes in order to rob them of their oil, we have ransacked their country, raped their men and women, destroyed their infrastructure and economy, installed a puppet government by ex-pats who have zero idea of todays Iraq" To hang on there to redeem ourselves is as idiotic as a judge sentencing the ransacker, robber, rapist, abuser of children to go back to that home to help with the cleanup. Why can't all Americans understand that Iraqis are so fearful of the terrors we bring, that it will last for generations, and that they would be fools to trust their tormenters (fool them once…). We need to go home, mend our ways and be certain we attack no more, and seek to work in cooperation with the world. We have by our cavalier attitude sunk to the level of the worst terrorist organization on the face of the earth.

I'd like Senator Dodd to tell us what he will do after he withdraws all the troops out of Iraq and Iran subsequently takes over the region, blockades the Strait of Hormuz, and oil hits $150 per barrel.

Dodd is currently our favorite Senator in Connecticut; that being said most people hate Lieberman even though he did win. He is only done mediocre things for our state unlike his father, who was a good statesman.

No Sir, You are no one to decide on the military operation and th war in Iraq. You need to talk to the commanders on the ground who know what is best for America. I want American people to realize that nobody can decide on bringing the tropps home, not even our President. I admire our President because he is the only one listenging to the commanders on the ground. They are the ones who know what is best for us. All others back off….

Do you want to be lied to again? The top-tier Democrats know that one of them has a better than average chance of having to clean up the mess left by 8 years of GOP dictatorship and obstruction.

They are smart enough to know that circumstances change - and that they can not tie their hands for whatever tough decisions may have to be made.

John Edwards pointed out that we will likely keep our embassy in Baghdad. That means there will be troops there protecting the embassy. Would you rather hire Blackwater?

We need to elected an intelligent president - not one who as of last week was telling us "childrens can learn" and this week will be vetoing a bill to keep them well.

Phil
The Democrats who would "exploit" the anger need to understand that THEY AUTHORIZED THE WAR WITH THE VERY SAME INTELLIGENCE!! - yet the crew of liberals in this blog seems to forget that fact…and will happily vote for Hillary in 2008 (even though she voted for the war) - Republicans and Democrats alike want all our service members home - but the rhetoric machine has to stop - the DNC is exploiting you…and the anger you feel towards the war….step back and say ok we made a mistake going into Iraq - whats done is done….if we pull out immediately….what happens to that region….like it or not - we now have created a situation we have to correct…and that will take time.

I have to agree with Dodd on this one. Right or wrong, they have stated they have a position and need to be willing to walk the talk at the very least.

Just thinking out loud here but, the so-called "War on Terror" is a $200 billion/year government program with little if any regulatory/audit oversight.

Corporations are reaping tens of billions in profits from that program.

Politicians are reaping tens of millions in "donations" from the corporations.

Therefore, politicians are ambiguous about substantially scaling back the "War on Terror". Did I miss something somewhere along the line?

While I understand WHY Dodd is saying these things, the reality is that we cannot pull troops out in a hurry whenever we decide to leave, and I think the candidates would rather err on the side of us being there longer, than to say "Yes, I'll have them home by Christmas of 2009," and then be unable to deliver on that promise. These are all intelligent people, and very careful of what they say, and that's a good thing.

John Starnes of Tampa Florida for you to compare an American President to Nazi Germany is not only disgusting but a slap in the face of every single Soldier and Marine in Iraq fighting to help the Iraqi people. You would do well not to equate those who defend you and our great nation with nazis. As a serving Soldier in Iraq I think you need to go an meet some of the young families mourning thier fallen Soldiers and tell them what you think. But you won't because you will hide and call names like a "cut and run" coward.

Since you think our beautiful great nation is a "rogue nation" you should consider finding another place to live like Iran, North Korea, Syria and then you can exercise the same freedoms you seem to care so little about.

Senator Dodd was right to be "stunned" by his fellow candidates' reluctance to commit to bringing the troops home by 2013, a conservative estimate that is ten years too late in the opinion of most Americans. Democrats don't need to play into the administration's hand on this issue. Bush counted on the public to passively accept the Iraq War because the risks were being taken by other people's sons, fathers and husbands. He miscalculated by making so much use of the reserves -guys known to everyone on Main Street. Now the outrage has caught up with him. The Dems need to really exploit that anger.

Obama was also asked about his exit policy in Iraq after he wouldn't guarantee at Wednesday's debate that all troops, under his watch, would be out by Jan. 2013, the end of the next presidential term. He said his answer was misrepresented.

"You would have basically all our combat forces out in a about a year," Obama said. "The question then was wouldn't that still leave some troops, and what I said was . . . I would leave enough troops to protect our embassy, to protect our civilian or humanitarian forces . . . and I would have enough troops to engage in counter-terrorism activities, although they might not be housed in Iraq. They might be in Kuwait or somewhere in the region. . . . The relevant question is do you have combat troops who are patrolling Baghdad or engaging in firefights in Anbar Province? That is not something we will see under an Obama presidency."

http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070930/FRONTPAGE/709300302

How can any one, on either side, make a firm statement that we will be out of Iraq by 2013? Let's say it's 2010, we've got 90% of our troops out (1.5 brigades a month starting in 2008). Now let's say some radical Iraqi leader - probably sponsored by Iran, assumes power and makes Sadam look like Santa Claus. Saudia Arabia, Kuwait, are right next door. Israel is a stone's throw away, and because of all that we have $300 a barrel oil and Israel sending nuke missles into Tehran and Bagdad…. Why do these idiot politicians make such stupid committments? No new taxes, never, ever, ever, never, ever. Read my lips.

Dodd is being false with respect to Obama.

Senator Obama's plan would have all COMBAT troops out by 2013. It is the non-combat troops, ie. gaurding the embassy, etc. that will take longer he said

Any leader who will give you a 100% ironclad guarantee of what he will do 6 years down the road is a fool or a liar. Circumstances can change drastically and in totally unforeseen ways.

This makes him the scariest of them all.

Hillary Clinton spews forth such intense rhetoric against Bush and the war (in spite of her original strong support for it), but I doubt she would actually do anything truly different there if elected. She knows we cannot just pull out. She is just playing the politcs game.

Dodd sounds like he might actually pull out. Stay away from him!

ThirstyJon
freedomthirst.com

By the way…can all of you Ron Paul idiots please shut up. Your guy is a moron.

I received an envelope from the Ron Paul organization in Rochester full of crap like a pamphlet with the "truths" about 9/11, i.e. the US caused it because there was never any plane wreckage found at the pentagon crash site.

This guy is a KOOK. He can't handle interviews of any substance. I have seen him give one on one interviews where he looks totally flustered and lost.

RON PAUL IS A MORON!!!

Here's a better idea for you Dodd…why not promise to get all of our troops out of Iraq within one month AND give every newborn baby a $10,000 bond.

If you Dems keep coming up with idiotic promises that you will never keep, you won't win the white house until NEXT century.

Here's a guy that is so far down in the polls that he will say and do anything to get publicity. Like Biden, Dodd has zero chance of winning.

Dodd and Biden both criticize Rudy for his lack of experience, yet neither of these clowns can make themselves a legitimate candidate in the minds of Democrats because they have done nothing of consequence in all of the years they have been in the senate.

Give it a rest clowns. Most of us know you both are trying to position yourselves for a VP slot. It won't matter though because the Dems will sheepily nominate Hillary and then scratch their heads when the Republican nominee slaughters her and their party in the election.

Clinton/Dodd is my preferred ticket and the more I hear from both, the more I like the combination.

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Just wondering did Dodd vote for the Iraq war? I know Hilary Clinton did, and Obama clearly is on record for being against it from the beginning.

Honestly CNN, why do you waste your time with stooges like Dodd? Ron Paul just raised more money in 5 days than this Dodd character did probably all last quarter, and you give this guy more coverage.

Fire Wolf Blitzer, give Ron Paul more coverage, and get in touch with the American people. The only thing you guys have going for your network right now is Lou Dobbs and the occasional Larry King episode.

Get informed people. Ron Paul. Spread the knowledge, spread the word, get involved instead of just blogging.

Dodd's response was the response of a child running for his high school class president what he should have said is sure let me tell you what you want to here, but on another note many people wine and complaining of the coward type actions of president bush, well here is just a small thought, how cowardly is abandoning a country that was wrecked by the United States, led by the President which the people of this country voted for. So why don't we all ask all these presidential candidates instead of running from OIF what are other possible solutions.

OH boy get ready for the DRAFT. Military commanders say they can not maintain the numbers only using the current active duty millitary. There gona have to draft or do 2 year deployments with 6 months of rest in states. The reserves soilder can only be tapped for 2 years of his 8 year enlistment. which means there pretty much no reserve unit left for deploying. And just having active duty to pull it. There not enuf active duty. Active duty designed for small conflicts ,not for arge scale and never ending deployments. Well guess we can make active duty pull long deployemts of almost 2 years and less then 1 yearback at the states. I think the active military will breack down to the point we will not be ale to hold off a cuba invasion.

This guy is a poor, pathetic little pimple on a donkey's backside. Deperate, but completely irrelevent. Why is this even being reported, as if it meant something. Who gives a whit about this guy, dodd? Can anyone even remember his first name without looking it up? Please go away - NOW.

It's good to see that people are waking up to the fact that the Democrats are just about as bad as the Republicans in getting the US out of Iraq. As a veteran myself, I would personally like to invite all you disappointed Democrats into the Ron Paul Revolution. Rep. Paul has been disagreeing with this war from the beginning and said in 2002 that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction. Which one of the Dems can stand on a record like that? They can't because at that time they all believed Bush!

It might be most important to elect the Democratic President who is most likely _not_ to oppose a post-election Congress-with-courage which winds down this monumental mistake, and that is not the otherwise unelectable Hawk Hillary nor the former frontrunner novice Obama. Edwards is looking more "evitable" and the rest of the field is already out of the running.

I find it interesting that at the time of the last major election cycle, the Dems swept out the Republicans mainly on the promise of getting out of Iraq pretty much immediately. Now, the major Democratic candidates backtrack on this. Kudos to Dodd for sticking to his guns and being one of the few with a consistent Iraq position. I think the Dems need to realize they got voted in because people were dissatisifed with Bush's handling of Iraq, not really on their own merits, it was a "lesser of two evils" vote by the American people. What happened to all the talk of getting out of Iraq ASAP? Interesting how after they won many seats that talk died down real fast.

I would love to hear ANY of the candidates state that they will completely disband the U.S. Military complex, and enforce the Constitution. This would mean IMMEDIATE withdrawal of the U.S. Military from those countries that do not wish our presence (the Republic of South Korea does want us there, the Republic of Japan sees us as an occupying force). We should not be the World's Police Force as we signed onto a Treaty that gave the United Nations that task. We have many problems here at home these candidates need to address, like the over 200 deaths in the deserts of Arizona by Illegal Entrants and what they intend to do about this situation, and not systematic amenesty, which only encourages others to try this, resulting in further pain and agony.

Bring the Troops home now, today,

RON PAUL For President

Ron Paul For President,

save America , while there is still time.

He is right.Plus some of our top military commanders THERE in Iraq have said that our occupation of THOSE people's country is the CAUSE of the "insurgency", just as we would fight back against, say, an invading Chinese force that toppled our government and killed vast numbers of our family members and friends and nieghbors. There is very little moral difference between the Bush/Cheney invasion and occupation of Iraq and Nazi Germany's unprovoked invasions of Poland and Austria….no WONDER Bush tucked into that spending bill a HIDDEN ( typical of this "brave" draft dodging president) clause retroactively protecting him and his cronies and handlers from any and all charges of war crimes. Impeach Cheney and Bush NOW, hand them over to the Hague and World Court, and leave Iraq NOW. How sad and frustrating to be a citizen of the world's worst and most dangerous "rogue nation".

If he thought it would help - he'd tell everyone the moon was made of cheese. Dodd is one example of why Washington is broken….and why when he comes up for election that we shake our heads in disgust because nobody can name anything he has done recently - yet - they vote for this moron….(well..other than pandering to the labor unions for a photo op) - Dodd…leave the race….and let Hillary win….even your own party hates her….slam dunk for us!! Rudy 08!

Kinda easy to to pull the troops out when you really don't have to worry about winning the election.

He has a point. He'd make a bigger point if he'd ask them where they are going to get recruits out to 2013.