Daschle Calls for U.S. Troops to Withdraw From Iraq

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http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB65UR8KFE.html

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle says all U.S. troops ought to be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of 2007.

The South Dakota Democrat, defeated for re-election last November, made the comment in a foreign policy speech set for delivery in Chicago on Wednesday, three days before a planned visit to politically pivotal Iowa.

Daschle has raised his public profile in recent weeks and has not ruled out a presidential run in 2008.

In an advance text of the speech, obtained by The Associated Press, Daschle said terrorism and AIDS had become greater threats under the Bush administration. He accused President Bush of giving rise to "a world opinion that now holds America in lower esteem than ever before."

[WI_DEM]

1. Three years ago many of these same people thought it would

be political suicide to oppose Bush on Iraq, now they have seen the light, and believe it would be political suicide to support Bush on Iraq.

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2. The Republicans will start turning soon n/t

[Tower]

3. I've come to realize that "leaders" are nothing but leaches.

Most of them seem to just stick their finger in the air and ride the wave of public opinion. They hope their opportunistic mugs will stick to the cause and people will come to think of them as "leading" something.

Real leaders are people like Cindy Sheehan. But you just watch- in 80 years they'll be talking about one of these suck-ass politicians who are turning NOW, now that they have no other damned choice, and they'll call them 'anti-war leaders' or something to that effect.