From Yahoo News
By Anna Johnson

CHICAGO – Sen. Barack Obama on Tuesday called for a troop reduction in
Iraq and criticized the Bush administration for questioning the patriotism of people who have spoken out against the war.

“I believe that U.S. forces are still a part of the solution in Iraq,” the Illinois Democrat said during a speech to the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations. “The strategic goals should be to allow for a limited drawdown of U.S. troops, coupled with a shift to a more effective counter-insurgency strategy that puts the Iraqi security forces in the lead and intensifies our efforts to train Iraqi forces.”

The debate over when to bring troops home has turned bitter since decorated Vietnam War vet Rep. John Murtha (news, bio, voting record), D-Pa., called last week for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. He was criticized by the Bush administration and other Republicans.

Obama defended Murtha and called any criticism of his patriotism “shameful.” But he said it was inappropriate to pull troops out immediately.

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