Obama's past comments on Iraq troop withdrawal

Barack Obama's policy for bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq as stated on his Web site:

"Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will make it clear that we will not build any permanent bases in Iraq. He will keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and diplomats; if al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq, he will keep troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda."

Obama has not been as unequivocal in his public statements, culminating Thursday when he said he would "continue to refine my policy."

- In November he told the New York Times: "As commander in chief, I'm not going to leave trainers unprotected. In our counterterrorism efforts, I'm not going to have a situation where our efforts can't be successful. If the commanders tell me that they need X, Y and Z, in order to accomplish the very narrow mission that I've laid out, then I will take that into consideration."

- In March, he told the Washington Post: "There will be far fewer Americans in Iraq conducting a much more limited set of missions. The precise size ... will depend on consultations with our military commanders and ... the circumstances on the ground, including the willingness of the Iraqi government to move toward political accommodation."

- In a March speech, he said: "We will have to make tactical adjustments, listening to our commanders on the ground, to ensure that our interests in a stable Iraq are met, and to make sure that our troops are secure."

- In June, on MSNBC, he said: "I've also consistently said that I will consult with military commanders on the ground and that we will always be open to the possibility of tactical adjustments."

- On Tuesday on MSNBC, Obama's foreign policy adviser Susan Rice said: "He has said that the best military advice he's received leads us to believe that we can safely withdraw our forces at the pace of one to two combat brigades per month, and depending on the number of combat brigades he inherits, our best estimate is that that could be accomplished in roughly 16 months. That's not a deadline. That's a timetable, and obviously as Sen. Obama has said on numerous occasions, he will listen to his commanders on the ground, he will follow and heed their advice as he decides how at the strategic level we must proceed."

Terra/AP