The last debate (ABC) between Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) before the April 22 primary in Pennsylvania ventured briefly into foreign policy, with an emphasis on the Middle East. On Iraq, Clinton confirmed plans to begin withdrawing U.S. troops within sixty days of taking office.

“[I]t will be only through our commitment to withdrawal that the Iraqis will begin to do what they have failed to do for all of these years. I will also begin an intensive diplomatic effort, both within the region and internationally, to begin to try to get other countries to understand the stakes that we all face when it comes to the future of Iraq.”

Obama also repeated his intentions to direct an “orderly” withdrawal of forces from Iraq. He joined Clinton in expressing concern about neglecting the war in Afghanistan:

“We are overstretched in a way—we do not have a strategic reserve at this point. If there was another crisis that was taking place, we would not have a brigade that we could send to deal with that crisis that isn’t already scheduled to be deployed in Iraq.”

On Iran, both Clinton and Obama called for stepped-up regional diplomacy, including directly with Iran, although Clinton said she would not talk with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In response to a question about how they would react if Iran attacked Israel, Obama said such an act would be unacceptable and “the United States would take appropriate action.” Clinton said: “We will let the Iranians know, that, yes, an attack on Israel would trigger massive retaliation.” She also called for an “umbrella of deterrence” that “goes much further than just Israel.”