US presidential candidate Barack Obama calls for immediate, gradual withdrawal from Iraq
By MIKE GLOVER Associated Press Writer
CLINTON, Iowa (AP) _ Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is calling for the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. combat brigades from Iraq, with the pullout being completed by the end of next year.
’’Let me be clear: There is no military solution in Iraq and there never was,’’ Obama said in excerpts of the speech provided to The Associated Press.
…Obama’s push for withdrawal drew a sharp rebuke from Republican rival Mitt Romney.
’’I think Barack Obama has disqualified himself for presidential leadership,’’ Romney said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. ‘’If we take the kind of left turn represented by Barack Obama and his flee-in-the-face-of-success strategy, we’d be in a very different position as a nation.’’