U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama will outline his strategy on Iraq and national security Tuesday.
In a speech at the International Trade Center in Washington, he will lay out plans to deal with the biggest threats facing the United States, which he says requires bringing the war in Iraq to an end, according to Obama's campaign.
"This war distracts us from every threat that we face and so many opportunities we could seize. This war diminishes our security, our standing in the world, our military, our economy, and the resources that we need to confront the challenges of the 21st century," Obama will say, according to excerpts of his prepared remarks.
"By any measure, our single-minded and open-ended focus on Iraqis not a sound strategy for keeping America safe," he will say.
In addition to ending the war, his plan for securing the country includes finishing the fight against al-Qaida and the Taliban, securing nuclear weapons from rogue nations, reaching energy security and rebuilding our alliances "to meet the challenges of the 21st century."
"In fact -- as should have been apparent to President George W. Bush and Senator John McCain -- the central front in the war on terror is not Iraq, and it never was. That's why the second goal of my new strategy will be taking the fight to al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan," Obama is expected to say.
"Sen. McCain said -- just months ago -- that 'Afghanistan is not in trouble because of our diversion to Iraq.' I could not disagree more," Obama will say.
The speech on national security and the war in Iraq comes one day after he detailed his plan for the war-torn country in a New York Times op-ed.
Sources familiar with Obama's plans said the candidate will travel to Iraq later this month with two Senate colleagues, Republican Chuck Hagel and Democrat Jack Reed.
In a counter move, McCain, Obama's Republican opponent, is expected to address his plans for winning the war in Afghanistan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, later in the day.
In his remarks, he's expected to criticize Obama for laying out his plan before talking with those on the ground.
A new Washington Post-ABC poll shows that the country is split between those backing Obama's timeline for withdrawing troops from Iraq and those who agree with McCain's stance that events should determine how troops are handled.
The poll found 50 percent support a timetable, compared to 49 percent who do not.
Source:Xinhua
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