electionupdates

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With the election season heating up and the nominating process inching closer to an end, this section, which will recur throughout the semester, has been designed to give readers a quick look at key election issues. This week the focus is on Iraq.

Here is a look at some of the numbers that characterize the war to date as well as a look at the three remain presidential candidates' plan for handling it as Commander in Chief.
-Theodore May, Features Editor


Hillary Clinton: If President Bush does not end the war, when Hillary Clinton is president, she will. Her three-step plan would bring our troops home, work to bring stability to the region, and replace military force with a new diplomatic initiative to engage countries around the world in securing Iraq's future. Hillary has been fighting every day in the Senate to force the president to change course. And today she described how she would bring the war to an end.
Source: hillaryclinton.com


John McCain: A greater military commitment now is necessary if we are to achieve long-term success in Iraq. John McCain agrees with retired Army General Jack Keane that there are simply not enough American forces in Iraq. More troops are necessary to clear and hold insurgent strongholds; to provide security for rebuilding local institutions and economies; to halt sectarian violence in Baghdad and disarm Sunni and Shia militias; to dismantle al Qaeda; to train the Iraqi Army; and to embed American personnel in Iraqi police units. Accomplishing each of these goals will require more troops and is a crucial prerequisite for needed economic and political development in the country. America's ultimate strategy is to give Iraqis the capabilities to govern and secure their own country.
Source: johnmccain.com


Barack Obama: Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will make it clear that we will not build any permanent bases in Iraq. He will keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and diplomats; if al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq, he will keep troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda.
Source: barackobama.com



U.S. deaths in Iraq by month:

October 2007: 38
November 2007: 37
December 2007: 23
January 2008: 40

U.S. deaths since the beginning of the war: 3,963

Source: Iraq Coalition Casualty Count