An Election of Monumental Change - Essay Example

A "hot button" issue for many in the United States is the ongoing Us-led conflict in Iraq which has been going on since March 2003. This is one of the areas which Senator Obama has wished to distinguish himself from his other Senators in that unlike Senator's Clinton and McCain, Obama has not given as much leeway in the form of senatorial votes in favor of President Bush's defense budget, while on the other hand both Senator Clinton, as well as Senator McCain, have voted in both sides of the issue.

In an era where the American people are looking for hope and this year looking to elect a new President, the two candidates to observe are Senator Barak Obama of Illinois and Senator Hillary Clinton of New York. Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the US has taken it upon itself to adopt a pre-emptive measure as it comes to defending itself, as well as defending its role in international relations with the rest of the world. . from the start, he says there is "no military solution" to the situation in Iraq," Adding that, "In January 2007, Obama proposed the Iraq War De-Escalation Act of 2007, which would reverse the troop surge and redeploy U.S. troops to Afghanistan and other locations in phases.

He favors more funds for U.S. military equipment like night-vision goggles and reinforced Humvees, though his recent refusal to sign a war funding bill came under criticism from presidential aspirant John McCain (R-AZ), who, among other things, accused the senator of misspelling "flak jacket." Under Obama's plan, there may be a residual troop presence (NYT) in Iraq for security and training purposes. His bill has not yet been voted on," (CFR 3/18/2008). In regards to Senator Clinton, her candidacy comes with the inevitable comparison, as well as what some would call "baggage", from the 8 years in office which her husband spent. "Sen. Clinton (D-NY) supported the invasion of Iraq at its advent, but now opposes it and claims that as president, she would end the war.

Clinton opposed the 2007 escalation of the war. In early 2007, Clinton proposed the Iraq Troop Protection and Reduction Act. That bill, which would have prevented an increase in troops in Iraq above the level of January 1, 2007, had no cosponsors and never reached a vote," Elaborating further that, "Clinton also opposes the establishment of permanent military bases in Iraq, although she, like Biden, does expect there to be a need for a "reduced residual force," perhaps stationed in Iraqi Kurdistan, even after troop redeployment.

Clinton cosponsored Sen. Joe Biden's Iraq War Policy resolution in January 2007. In 2002, Clinton voted in favor of the invasion of Iraq, and has been widely criticized for her refusal to apologize for that