Barack Obama will responsibly end the war in Iraq: 
Immediately upon taking office, Obama will give his Secretary of Defense and military
commanders a new mission in Iraq: successfully ending the war. The removal of our troops
will be responsible and phased.

Encourage political accommodation: 
Obama and Biden will press Iraq's leaders to take responsibility for their future and to
substantially spend their oil revenues on their own reconstruction.

Increase stability in Iraq and the region:
Obama and Biden will launch an aggressive diplomatic effort to reach a comprehensive
compact on the stability of Iraq and the region. They also will address Iraq's refugee
crisis.

Plan for Ending the War in Iraq
The Problem
Inadequate Security and Political Progress in Iraq: Since the surge began, more than
1,000 American troops have died, and despite the improved security situation, the Iraqi
government has not stepped forward to lead the Iraqi people and to reach the genuine
political accommodation that was the stated purpose of the surge. Our troops have
heroically helped reduce civilian casualties in Iraq to early 2006 levels. This is a
testament to our military’s hard work, improved counterinsurgency tactics, and enormous
sacrifice by our troops and military families. It is also a consequence of the decision
of many Sunnis to turn against al Qaeda in Iraq, and a lull in Shia militia activity. But
the absence of genuine political accommodation in Iraq is a direct result of President
Bush’s failure to hold the Iraqi government accountable.

Strains on the Military: More than 1.75 million servicemen and women have served in Iraq
or Afghanistan; more than 620,000 troops have completed multiple deployments. Military
members have endured multiple deployments taxing both them and their families.
Additionally, military equipment is wearing out at nine times the normal rate after years
of constant use in Iraq’s harsh environment. As Army Chief of Staff General George Casey
said in March, “Today’s Army is out of balance. The current demand for our forces in Iraq
and Afghanistan exceeds the sustainable supply and limits our ability to provide ready
forces for other contingencies.”

Resurgent Al Qaeda in Afghanistan: The decision to invade Iraq diverted resources from
the war in Afghanistan, making it harder for us to kill or capture Osama Bin Laden and
others involved in the 9/11 attacks. Nearly seven years later, the Taliban has reemerged
in southern Afghanistan while Al Qaeda has used the space provided by the Iraq war to
regroup, train and plan for another attack on the United States. 2007 was the most
violent year in Afghanistan since the invasion in 2001. The scale of our deployments in
Iraq continues to set back our ability to finish the fight in Afghanistan, producing
unacceptable strategic risks.

A New Strategy Needed: The Iraq war has lasted longer than World War I, World War II, and
the Civil War. More than 4,000 Americans have died. More than 60,000 have been injured and
wounded. The United States may spend $2.7 trillion on this war and its aftermath, yet we
are less safe around the globe and more divided at home. With determined ingenuity and at
great personal cost, American troops have found the right tactics to contain the violence
in Iraq, but we still have the wrong strategy to press Iraqis to take responsibility at
home, and restore America’s security and standing in the world.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan
Judgment You Can Trust
In 2002, as the conventional thinking in Washington lined up with President Bush for war,
Obama had the judgment and courage to speak out against going to war, and to warn of “an
occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs, and undetermined
consequences.” He and Joe Biden are fully committed to ending the war in Iraq as
president.

A Responsible, Phased Withdrawal
Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were
careless getting in. Immediately upon taking office, Obama will give his Secretary of
Defense and military commanders a new mission in Iraq: ending the war. The removal of our
troops will be responsible and phased, directed by military commanders on the ground and
done in consultation with the Iraqi government. Military experts believe we can safely
redeploy combat brigades from Iraq at a pace of 1 to 2 brigades a month that would remove
them in 16 months. That would be the summer of 2010 – more than 7 years after the war
began.

Under the Obama-Biden plan, a residual force will remain in Iraq and in the region to
conduct targeted counter-terrorism missions against al Qaeda in Iraq and to protect
American diplomatic and civilian personnel. They will not build permanent bases in Iraq,
but will continue efforts to train and support the Iraqi security forces as long as Iraqi
leaders move toward political reconciliation and away from sectarianism.

Encouraging Political Accommodation
Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that the U.S. must apply pressure on the Iraqi
government to work toward real political accommodation. There is no military solution to
Iraq’s political differences, but the Bush Administration’s blank check approach has
failed to press Iraq’s leaders to take responsibility for their future or to
substantially spend their oil revenues on their own reconstruction.

Obama and Biden's plan offers the best prospect for lasting stability in Iraq. A phased
withdrawal will encourage Iraqis to take the lead in securing their own country and
making political compromises, while the responsible pace of redeployment called for by
the Obama-Biden plan offers more than enough time for Iraqi leaders to get their own
house in order. As our forces redeploy, Obama and Biden will make sure we engage
representatives from all levels of Iraqi society—in and out of government—to forge
compromises on oil revenue sharing, the equitable provision of services, federalism, the
status of disputed territories, new elections, aid to displaced Iraqis, and the reform of
Iraqi security forces.

Surging Diplomacy
Barack Obama and Joe Biden will launch an aggressive diplomatic effort to reach a
comprehensive compact on the stability of Iraq and the region. This effort will include
all of Iraq’s neighbors—including Iran and Syria, as suggested by the bi-partisan The
Iraq Study Group Report. This compact will aim to secure Iraq’s borders; keep neighboring
countries from meddling inside Iraq; isolate al Qaeda; support reconciliation among Iraq’s
sectarian groups; and provide financial support for Iraq’s reconstruction and
development.

Preventing Humanitarian Crisis
Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that America has both a moral obligation and a
responsibility for security that demands we confront Iraq’s humanitarian crisis—more than
five million Iraqis are refugees or are displaced inside their own country. Obama and
Biden will form an international working group to address this crisis. He will provide at
least $2 billion to expand services to Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries, and ensure
that Iraqis inside their own country can find sanctuary. Obama and Biden will also work
with Iraqi authorities and the international community to hold the perpetrators of
potential war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide accountable. They will
reserve the right to intervene militarily, with our international partners, to suppress
potential genocidal violence within Iraq.

The Status-of-Forces-Agreement
Obama and Biden believe any Status of Forces Agreement, or any strategic framework
agreement, should be negotiated in the context of a broader commitment by the U.S. to
begin withdrawing its troops and forswearing permanent bases. Obama and Biden also
believe that any security accord must be subject to Congressional approval. It is
unacceptable that the Iraqi government will present the agreement to the Iraqi parliament
for approval—yet the Bush administration will not do the same with the U.S. Congress. The
Bush administration must submit the agreement to Congress or allow the next
administration to negotiate an agreement that has bipartisan support here at home and
makes absolutely clear that the U.S. will not maintain permanent bases in Iraq.

Barack Obama’s Record
Barack Obama opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning. In 2002, as the conventional
thinking in Washington lined up for war, Obama had the judgment and courage to speak out
against the war. He said the war would lead to “an occupation of undetermined length,
with undetermined costs and undetermined consequences.” In January 2007, Obama introduced
legislation to responsibly end the war in Iraq, with a phased withdrawal of troops engaged
in combat operations.