Obama May Consider Slowing Iraq Withdrawal

Barack Obama said during a campaign stop in Fargo, N.D., that he wants to "end this war, responsibly, deliberately but decisively." (By Jae C. Hong -- Associated Press)

Obama's comments on Thursday capped a shift in tone that has been occurring since June, and it fit with his broader efforts to appeal to moderate and independent voters. Throughout the past week, Obama has been stressing values as he journeyed through conservative regions of swing states: patriotism in Independence, Mo.; faith-based social services in rural Ohio; and service in Colorado Springs.

Democratic allies said Obama is wise to try to hold down the margin of his losses in those conservative pockets in an effort to win the states. But on Thursday he began a swing through states that offer a stiffer challenge. President Bush beat Democratic rival John F. Kerry 63 percent to 36 percent in North Dakota four years ago. Friday, Obama will celebrate Independence Day in Montana, where Bush won 59 percent of the vote.

Campaign spokesman Nick Shapiro said Obama is serious about spreading the playing field beyond the handful of battleground states that have dominated presidential campaigns since Ronald Reagan's 1984 landslide. Obama's advertising is already running in Montana and North Dakota, states with a combined six electoral college votes. A dozen staff members are on the ground in Montana. "We want to show the country we mean business," he said.

Obama and his aides said Thursday that the political environment has changed dramatically since 2004. Montana has a Democratic governor and two Democratic senators; North Dakota's entire congressional delegation is Democratic.

Bush's popularity has plunged even in the West. Discontent has spread to all corners of the nation, and the economy is teetering under the strain of soaring energy and food prices. Moreover, the long primary season forced Obama to build an infrastructure even in the reddest of states, campaign spokesman Robert Gibbs said. Montana, which sealed the nomination for Obama, still has the infrastructure remaining in place from its June 3 primary.

"I'm a firm believer that 90 percent of success is showing up, and Democrats haven't been showing up in these places and talking to people about we're how going to fix the health-care system, how we're going to lower gas prices, how we're going to bring good jobs at good wages," Obama said. "And I believe the American people across ideological spectrums, across political spectrums, are hungry for something different."

He added: "I think there's the possibility of a significant realignment politically in this election."

With that backdrop, the shift in tone on Iraq is all the more significant. Obama's comments on Thursday were his most extensive on the issue, and they leaned toward flexibility.

"We have a strategic interest in Iraq in making sure that it doesn't collapse," he said Thursday afternoon, saying he has always reserved the right to slow the pace of withdrawal if conditions warranted.

"I would be a poor commander in chief if I didn't take facts on the ground into account," he said.