Sept. 26 Democratic debate transcript

Speakers: Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn.; Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.; Former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C.; Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M.; Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., D-Del.; Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich, D-Ohio; Former Sen. Mike Gravel, D-Alaska; Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

Tim Russert, moderator

Allison King, New England Cable News

Tim Russert: Good evening and welcome.  We have some big issues to talk about tonight, so let's start right now.

Senator Obama, I'd like to start with you.  General Petraeus in his testimony before Congress, later echoed by President Bush, gave every indication that in January of 2009, when the next president takes office, there will be 100,000 troops in Iraq.

You're the president.  What do you do?  You said you would end the war.  How do you do it in January of 2009?

Barack Obama: Well, first of all, Tim, let me say thank you to Dartmouth for hosting this event.

And let me also say that had my judgment prevailed back in 2002, we wouldn't be in this predicament.

I was opposed to this war from the start; have been opposed to this war consistently.

But I have also said that there are no good options now.  There are bad options and worse options.

I hope and will work diligently in the Senate to bring an end to this war before I take office.  And I think that it is very important at this stage, understanding how badly the president's strategy has failed, that we not vote for funding without a timetable for this war.

If there are still large troop presences in -- when I take office, then the first thing I will do is call together the Joint Chiefs of Staff and initiate a phased redeployment.  We've got to be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in, but military personnel indicate we can get one brigade to two brigades out per month.

I would immediately begin that process.  We would get combat troops out of Iraq.  The only troops that would remain would be those that have to protect U.S. bases and U.S. civilians, as well as to engage in counterterrorism activities in Iraq.

The important principle, though, is there are not going to be any military solutions to the problem in Iraq.  There has to be a political accommodation, and the best way for us to support the troops and to stabilize the situation in Iraq is to begin that phased redeployment.

Russert: Will you pledge that by January 2013, the end of your first term, more than five years from now, there will be no U.S. troops in Iraq?

Obama: I think it's hard to project four years from now, and I think it would be irresponsible.  We don't know what contingency will be out there.

What I can promise is that if there are still troops in Iraq when I take office -- which it appears there may be, unless we can get some of our Republican colleagues to change their mind and cut off funding without a timetable -- if there's no timetable -- then I will drastically reduce our presence there to the mission of protecting our embassy, protecting our civilians, and making sure that we're carrying out counterterrorism activities there.

I believe that we should have all our troops out by 2013, but I don't want to make promises, not knowing what the situation's going to be three or four years out.

Russert: Senator Clinton, Democrats all across the country believed in 2006 when the Democrats were elected to the majority in the House and Senate that that was a signal to end the war, and the war would end.

You have said that you will not pledge to have all troops out by the end of your first term, 2013.  Why not?

Hillary Rodham Clinton: Well, Tim, it is my goal to have all troops out by the end of my first term.  But I agree with Barack; it is very difficult to know what we are going to be inheriting.  Now, we do not know, walking into the White House in January of 2009 what we are going to find.

What is the state of planning for withdrawal?  That's why last spring I began pressing the Pentagon to be very clear about whether or not they were planning to bring our troops out.  What I found was that they weren't doing the kind of planning that is necessary, and we've been pushing them very hard to do so.

Clinton: You know, with respect to the question, though, about the Democrats taking control of the Congress, I think the Democrats have pushed extremely hard to change this president's course in Iraq.

Today, I joined with many of my colleagues in voting for Senator Biden's plan -- slightly different that he'd been presenting it, but still the basic structure was to move toward what is a de facto partition if the Iraqi people and government so choose.

The Democrats keep voting for what we believe would be a better course.  Unfortunately, as you know so well, the Democrats don't have the majority in the Senate to be able to get past that 60-vote blockade that the Republicans can still put up.

But I think every one of us who is still in the Senate -- Senator Biden, Senator Dodd, Senator Obama and myself -- we are trying every single day; and, of course, Congressman Kucinich is in the House.

Clinton: But I think it is fair to say that the president has made it clear: He intends to have about 100,000 or so troops when he leaves office.

The height of irresponsibility, that he would leave this war to his successor.  I will immediately move to begin bringing our troops home when I am inaugurated.

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