ProJo: Leading Senate candidates shift views on Iraq withdrawal

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http://www.projo.com/extra/election/content/projo_20060907_war97.337ee2d.html
BY JOHN E. MULLIGAN
Journal Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Democratic Senate candidate Sheldon Whitehouse has backed away from his call for a deadline to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq.

Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee, the only Senate Republican to oppose the invasion of Iraq, has softened his longtime opposition to deadlines for pulling out U.S. forces.

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Whitehouse has since moved back toward the political center on the war issue, dropping his call for a specific deadline for pulling out the troops. In television and newspaper interviews over the last two weeks, Whitehouse has said military leaders should set the pace for a pullout, with "troop safety" as the key factor in their decision.

Democrat Sheeler continues to call for an immediate withdrawal, to be accomplished within six months. He said he would have voted against both the Kerry and the Reed amendments this summer because they would not pull the troops out quickly enough.

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