Sen. Obama: Iraq withdrawal should begin in 2007

Sen. Barack Obama - a freshman Democrat from Illinois who is considered to be a possible candidate in the 2008 presidential election - called earlier today for U.S. troops to start leaving Iraq as early as 2007. In doing so, he argued that the threat of an American pullout is the best leverage Washington has remaining in the conflict. You can read more about these and other remarks he made in his speech to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs in this story from CNN.

Meanwhile, leading Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska) is also calling for a troop pullout from Iraq, saying that a U.S. pullout is needed to head off "impending disaster" in the nearly 4-year-old war. He claims there will be no victory or defeat for the U.S. in Iraq. You can read more about his thoughts by going here.