Obama vs. McCain: Iraq, Afghanistan and the Treatment of Veterans -- Voter Guide

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The current financial crisis, which experts are roundly describing as a calamity of unprecedented proportions, has convinced most voters that the economy is the most urgent priority of the incoming administration. The war on Iraq -- and the broader existential conflict known for years now as the Global War on Terror -- has taken a backseat in many voters' minds. But the two are inextricably linked, and how the next president views the latter will largely dictate the way the government spends taxpayer dollars in the years to come.

"The Iraq adventure has seriously weakened the U.S. economy," wrote economists Linda J. Bilmes and Joseph E. Stiglitz in the Washington Post on the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion. "... You can't spend $3 trillion -- yes, $3 trillion -- on a failed war abroad and not feel the pain at home." Regardless of the timetable, at this point, "the United States will be paying the price of Iraq for decades to come."

And then, of course, there's Afghanistan. In spite of their differences on when and how to leave Iraq, both John McCain and Barack Obama support an escalation of the war in Afghanistan, a conflict that, if history is any indication, is unwinnable.

Unlike reports from think tanks or political candidates, the recommendations below are not about trying to find military solutions to the wars we have created in Iraq and Afghanistan. They do not seek to weigh in on what Iraqis should do to address the internal strife in their country (or how to spend the billions of dollars of oil revenues that U.S. politicians like to say should be used on reconstruction.) The recommendations in this guide rest on a belief that Iraqi sovereignty and self-determination -- as well as the well-being of American troops -- rely foremost on an end to the U.S. occupation. And they encourage the rethinking of American military power, particularly the so-called War on Terror, which, from its inception, has sought to legitimize a bankrupt foreign policy based on pre-emptive war. The results have been disastrous for everyone.

1. ENDING THE OCCUPATION OF IRAQ

The Iraq War, waged illegally and based on lies, is in its sixth year. Up to 1 million Iraqis have died. Some 4,200 U.S. troops have been killed. Even as media and political rhetoric continue to celebrate the success of the "surge," the ugly truth is that the recent decrease in violence is due to factors -- such as brutally effective ethnic cleansing -- that have little to do with the 30,000 troops redeployed to Iraq in the winter of 2007. The presence of American troops has not created the political conditions necessary for Iraq to be a sovereign country. Instead, it undermines Iraqis' right to self-determination and serves as a recruiting tool for those who wish harm upon the United States.

• Solution: End the occupation swiftly and completely.
• Obama's position: An early opponent to the invasion of Iraq, Barack Obama has nevertheless voted to fund the war since reaching the Senate. His current plan seeks a phased withdrawal that would last until 2010 -- although he has said he will revise his strategy depending on the facts on the ground. Beyond 2010, Obama says he will leave a "residual force" in place "to conduct targeted counter-terrorism missions against al Qaeda in Iraq and to protect American diplomatic and civilian personnel." He also intends to retain control of Baghdad International Airport and the Green Zone, and keep the U.S. embassy in place.
• McCain's position: McCain famously declared that the United States will remain in Iraq until "victory" is achieved -- even if it takes another 100 years. He has long refused to name target dates for troop withdrawals, claiming that it would be tantamount to giving terrorists a timeline for defeat. More recently on the campaign trail, however, he has claimed Iraq can be "won" by 2013. Still, he has said he reserves the right to reassess the situation upon taking office.
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