Eighth-Grader Challenges Edwards

Student Asks Democrat Why He Can't Promise To Have Troops Out Of Iraq In First Term

(AP)  An eighth-grader pressed Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards on Thursday about why he couldn't guarantee that U.S. troops would be out of Iraq by the end of the next president's first term.

The exchange came at Richmond Middle School hours after the Democratic debate Wednesday night. Edwards and leading rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama conceded that they couldn't ensure that U.S. forces would be out of Iraq by the end of the term in 2013.

“I cannot make that commitment,” Edwards said during the debate.

On Thursday, Eighth-grader James Harvard told Edwards that several other Democrats had made that guarantee.

“Last night, I watched the debate and Congressman Kucinich said he would end the war in three months and you said it would take a whole term, and I was wondering why,” Harvard said.

Edwards told Harvard that the United States has troops in many parts of the world, and the key issue is combat troops. If elected, “I would have combat troops out of Iraq in about nine months,” he said.

During the debate, Edwards said if he were elected and 100,000 U.S. troops remained in Iraq, he would immediately redeploy up to half of them.

“I do not think we should continue combat missions in Iraq,” he added.

Edwards got two standing ovations and enthusiastic responses to his answers at the school, the first of five planned events in New Hampshire on Thursday.

[lostcountry1]

one by one the dems. are backing away from pulling our troops out of iraq. i think that they have been only threatening to do so until their "price for loyalty" to the republican party has been agreed to by bushit and friends.bush has been giving them all advice on iraq, namely how much money they can make from the death machine there,if they "stay the course in iraq".more femocratic lip service to garner votes.if their not giving our country away to the illegals, their waiting their turn to make money from iraq. there is currently NO-ONE running for pres. to vote for.

[rational_1]

So if you slowly draw down troop levels over years, how do the diminishing numbers of troops defend themselves? How long do you think 1,000 troops on the ground in Iraq would last if very last insurgent was focusing on them? If this is truly the Dems plan, how come no one asks them how these drawdowns will be implemented? Sure, if the place is stable you can remove troops slowly, but what if it''s not?

[prinzowhales]

Edwards is crazy as ''ell...He plans to leave non-combatant US forces in a war zone? How does he plan to retrieve their bodies after the Iraqis protecting them dispatch them or let the freedom fighters do the job themselves.