Morning Update: Hitting the Pause in Iraq
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) joined rival Sen. Barack Obama in criticizing Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ suggestion that the United States pause troop drawdown in July once an initial five brigades are withdrawn (Reuters). “It is clear that in the absence of a military solution, which I think this announcement today obviously confirms, the Iraqi government will not take the steps that were expected and even demanded,” said Clinton.
Chief Clinton strategist Mark Penn argued in a blog Monday that Clinton will win the debate with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) over national security, because “voters know she has the right policies - ending the war in Iraq, re-establishing our relations with our allies - and they know she has the strength of leadership that America’s next president will need in a world that can turn dangerous in an instant.”
Clinton, Obama, and McCain are all competing in their parties’ nominating races for president today in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC.
Former UN Ambassador John Bolton praised Sen. John McCain on Fox News Monday, saying McCain “understands we’re in a long war” and has “persevered for his support against al-Qaeda in Iraq and the president’s surge strategy that now appears to be winning.” Bolton also called McCain’s stance on Iran “realistic” and called for a “much more forceful approach” to the country.
