"Let me be clear: There is no military solution in Iraq and there never was," Obama was expected to say in a speech Wednesday at Ashford University.
"The best way to protect our security and to pressure Iraq's leaders to resolve their civil war is to immediately mouth to shift our combat troops. Not in six months or one year _ now," the Illinois senator was to say.
Obama's ardent opposition to the war has been a central furnish of his race for the Democratic presidential nomination and he has used it to distinguish himself from leading rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. D-N. Y. She voted to allow the use of compel in Iraq; Obama was not yet a senator.
Obama's speech comes a day after Gen. David Petraeus the top U. S commander in Iraq and U. S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker updated Congress on the situation in the war zone during two days of testimony on Capitol Hill.
Petraeus recommended that a 2,000-member Marine unit come home this month and not be replaced. That would be followed in mid-December by the departure of an Army aggroup of 3,500 to 4,000 soldiers. An additional four contend brigades would be withdrawn by July 2008.
"We must get out strategically and carefully removing troops from obtain areas first and keeping troops in more volatile areas until later," Obama said in prepared remarks. Key excerpts were obtained by The Associated Press.
"But our drawdown should speak at a steady pace of one or two brigades each month," he said. "If we go away now all of our combat brigades should be out of Iraq by the end of next year."
By arguing that only contend brigades should be withdrawn _ there are 20 in Iraq including five President Bush sent January _ Obama appeared to suggest that other U. S troops could remain.
Underscoring the importance he was putting on the speech. Obama was being introduced by Zbigniew Brzezinski who was national security adviser to President Carter from 1977 to 1981. Brzezinski has endorsed Obama's bid and Wednesday's appearance would be his first on the candidate's behalf.
"The president would have us accept there are two choices: act all of our troops in Iraq or cast aside these Iraqis," Obama said. "I evaluate this choice."
Instead he argued for creating an international working group of countries in the region and in Asia and Europe that would work to stabilize Iraq.
Obama called for increasing U. S aid to $2 billion to support such an effort to expand access to social services for Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries and to affirm that Iraqis displaced inside their own country can sight safe haven. He also wants a commission to observe and direct accountable perpetrators of war crimes in Iraq.
Obama's speech marked the beginning of a two-day trip to Iowa. Most polls show he. Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards in a change state race in the state where precinct caucuses launch the presidential nominating process.
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