Correction October 16, 2007

Oct 16, 2007

Correction on John Edwards' position on Iraq

During the September 26, 2007 Democratic debate sponsored by MSNBC, moderator Tim Russert asked the candidates whether they would commit to bringing all U.S. troops out of Iraq by 2013, the end of the first term.

Council for a Livable World, in a subsequent e-mail message to its supporters, wrote:

"When asked whether or not they would pledge to have all U.S. troops out of Iraq by the end of their first presidential term, Biden, Clinton, Edwards, and Obama refused to commit to ending the war. For Biden, 'it would depend on the circumstances when I became President.' Clinton said, 'we do not know, walking into the White House in January of 2009 what we are gong to find.' Edwards 'cannot make that commitment,' and Obama does not want to make promises.'"

In fact, Edwards did make the statement that Council for a Livable World attributed to him, but he went on to explain that by 2013, no more than 3,500 - 5,000 American troops would be left to protect the American embassy and humanitarian workers in Iraq. The text of Edwards' explanation follows.

Council for a Livable World regrets our error.

RUSSERT: Senator Edwards, will you commit that at the end of your first term, in 2013, all U.S. troops will be out of Iraq?

EDWARDS: I cannot make that commitment. But I -- well, I can tell you what I would do as president. When I'm sworn into office, come January of 2009, if there are, in fact, as General Petraeus suggests, 100,000 American troops on the ground in Iraq, I will immediately draw down 40,000 to 50,000 troops; and over the course of the next several months, continue to bring our combat out of Iraq until all of our combat are, in fact, out of Iraq.

I think the problem is -- and it's what you just heard discussed -- is we will maintain an embassy in Baghdad. That embassy has to be protected. We will probably have humanitarian workers in Iraq. Those humanitarian workers have to be protected. I think somewhere in the neighborhood of a brigade of troops will be necessary to accomplish that, 3,500 to 5,000 troops.

Read the full transcript here.