Democratic Rivals Trade Jabs Over Iraq

WASHINGTON — A trio of Democratic presidential candidates appealed to anti-war passions that run deep in their party Tuesday, with each portraying himself as most strongly against the war in Iraq.

Sen. Barack Obama told some 3,000 liberal activists at the "Take Back America" conference that he opposed the war from the start. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson argued that unlike his rivals, he would pull out every troop from Iraq. John Edwards pressed his fellow candidates still in Congress to force an end to the conflict.

"No more we'll-get-around-to-it-next-time," Edwards said. "No more taking half a loaf. No more tomorrow. For the men and women who are leaving this country to serve in Iraq, there is no tomorrow."

Obama said he warned his rivals and others serving in Congress in 2002 not to authorize the war. He was serving in the Illinois state legislature at the time and won election to the U.S. Senate in 2004.

"We knew back then this war was a mistake," Obama said in a rousing speech frequently interrupted by applause. "We knew back then that it was dangerous diversion from the struggle against the terrorists who attacked us on September 11th."

In a separate speech to a union members at another Washington hotel, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton dodged a question about another issue that has inflamed liberal sentiments _ whether former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby should be pardoned. "I think there will be enough to be said about that without me adding to it," she said.

Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was convicted in March of lying to investigators and obstructing Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's inquiry into the 2003 leak of a CIA operative's identity. A federal judge said last week he will not delay a 2 1/2-year prison sentence for Libby in the case.

Richardson stressed that he would leave "zero troops" in Iraq. He pointed out that his leading opponents have supported legislation that would leave behind an undetermined number of residual forces to train and equip Iraqi forces, among other things. He didn't mention that he had said he also supported the legislation at the time it was being debated.

"With all due respect to my outstanding Democratic colleagues _ Senators Clinton, Obama, Dodd and Biden _ they all voted for timeline legislation that had loopholes," the New Mexico governor said. "Those loopholes allow this president, or any president, to leave an undetermined number of troops in Iraq indefinitely. And this is the same legislation that former Senator Edwards says we should send back and back to the president over and over again until he signs it."

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Associated Press Writer Jesse Holland contributed to this report.