Sen. Barack Obama's promise to "immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq" is the centerpiece of his campaign, and his straightforward stance on the war and vision of an endgame is the factor that arguably attracts most of his supporters. "When I am commander-in-chief," he vows, without a hint of hedging or nuance, "I will set a new goal on Day One: I will end this war." The U.S. has witnessed similar moments in presidential politics. In 1952, with the nation bogged down in a bloody and unpopular war on the Korean peninsula, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower campaigned on a promise "to bring the Korean War to an early and honorable end" and to "concentrate on the job of ending the Korean War." To underscore his seriousness, he famously declared, "I shall go to Korea." His purpose: to "learn how best to serve the American people in the cause of peace." Perhaps in that spirit, Sen. John McCain has proposed a joint visit to Iraq with Obama. "I would be glad to go with him because these issues are far more important than any election," McCain recently said. "The security of this nation is far more important than any political campaign."
Is Obama Like Ike? Lessons from Eisenhower for Iraq
