The Democratic presidential contenders squabbled over Iraq, with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton a target of criticism for her 2002 vote to authorize the war and her suggestion some U.S. troops may be there for years. The leading Democrats in the 2008 race touted their judgment and their plans to bring home the troops during separate appearances before two of the party's biggest voting blocs: union members and liberal activists. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said his "fundamental difference" with leading rivals like Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and former vice presidential nominee John Edwards was his commitment to not leaving any troops behind in Iraq once combat forces are withdrawn.
Clinton, a New York senator who leads Democrats in national polls ahead of the November 2008 election, has refused to apologize for voting to authorize the war. Dodd, Biden and Edwards, who was a senator at the time, apologized and said the vote was a mistake. Clinton has become a strong critic of the increasingly unpopular war and promises to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq if she wins the White House. But she said there are security interests in the region that could require a long-term troop presence.
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