Holding a Wolf by the Ears- Iraq five years on

...Mr Obama makes much of his opposition to those (such as his Democratic rival) who authorised the invasion in the first place. Many voters like his anti-war stance; his broad promise to end the war is popular too. He says that he would get troops out by the end of 2009. But Democratic peaceniks might cheer less heartily at some of the details of his plan. He would withdraw one or two combat brigades from Iraq each month, thus keeping American troops present in large numbers for a long time yet. Even after that, he says he would leave soldiers to protect America’s embassy, to fight al-Qaeda where necessary, and that he would “reserve the right” to re-enter Iraq to stop a genocide.... (full story here)