Elections Today
- Pennsylvania
Recent Projections
| State | Candidate | Delegates |
|---|---|---|
 Donald Trump | ||
Pennsylvania |  Joe Biden |
Where They Stand: Iraq
P E N TA G O N, Sept. 29, 2004 -- How and why the United States went to war with Iraq will be debated for years. How the United States can get out, however, is a far more urgent question. On that topic, the candidates have remarkably similar answers.
During a stump speech at New York University earlier this month, Kerry said the United States should "train the Iraqis to provide their own security" and to "take the steps necessary to hold credible elections."
Bush has said the United States will "help new leaders to train their armies" and "move toward elections" in Iraq.
The details of how to achieve those goals are where the candidates differ.
Kerry's Plan
Kerry's plan relies heavily on finding more foreign troops.
"We cannot hope to succeed unless we rebuild and lead strong alliances so that other nations share the burden with us," Kerry said in a speech at New York University on Sept. 20.
Kerry has made it a major political theme; his "Respected in the World" slogan is a jab at the president for alienating allies in the build-up to the war.
But could Kerry's plan work?
"There was a lot of broken crockery and hurt feelings surrounding the manner in which the war originally unfolded, and those things to some degree have a lasting impact. But Kerry would have an opportunity to start over without that baggage," said James Dobbins, director of the RAND Corporation's International Security and Defense Policy Center.
Bush has brought more than 30 countries into the so-called "Coalition of the Willing," but the majority of those countries have only a small number of troops, and the United States is largely footing the bill.
The question of when U.S. troops could leave also sets the candidates apart.
Kerry has a set timeline for departure.
Said Kerry during his NYU speech: "We could begin to withdraw U.S. forces starting next summer and realistically aim to bring our entire troops home within the next four years."
Related Stories
ABC News Live