Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Today, Senator John Edwards released the following statement challenging Senator Clinton to answer five simple questions on her plan for Iraq:
"Senator Clinton has repeatedly said she will 'end the war.' Yet she has provided no plan for how she'll do it. She has only said that she will hold a meeting with her advisors within 60 days of taking office. That's not a plan. It's a promise of a planning meeting. On such an important question we need honesty and answers, not double-talk and evasions.
"As president, I will immediately withdraw 40,000 to 50,000 troops to jump-start the political solution that will end the violence, launch a diplomatic offensive with all local, national, and regional parties, and completely withdraw all combat troops within nine to ten months. If Senator Clinton is the Democratic nominee, the debate with the Republicans will be about how much war we will have in Iraq. If I'm the nominee, the debate will only be about ending the war. We can't be just a little bit better than the Republicans. We have to win this election and bring our brave men and women home to the heroes' welcome they deserve.
"And so today, I am calling on Senator Clinton to offer specific answers to five questions of most concern to voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, and all across America."
Five Questions on Iraq that Every Candidate Should Have to Answer:
Question #1: Do you have a specific plan to end the war in Iraq?
Edwards: YES
Senator Clinton: ?
Question #2: As president, will you withdraw all combat troops?
Edwards: YES
Senator Clinton: ?
Question #3: Will you withdraw all combat troops within the first nine to ten months of your presidency?
Edwards: YES
Senator Clinton: ?
Question #4: Will you conduct combat missions with troops stationed inside Iraq?
Edwards: NO
Senator Clinton: ?
Question #5: Will you leave permanent military bases in Iraq?
Edwards: NO
Senator Clinton: ?
John Edwards, Statement by John Edwards Challenging Clinton To Answer Five Simple Questions On Iraq Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/294198