This has been building for a bit now and I wasn’t entirely sure where to begin but with the presidents speech tonight and his position on surging troop levels in the war it has become clear that Iraq is the first and undoubtedly will continue to be the major campaign issue for 2008 at least throughout 2007.

I will have more to say on the subject and obviously more to report but for the moment I wanted to give a quick roundup of some of the candidates expressed positions. On the Republican side there is only one candidate coming out against the troop surge and on the Democratic side none so far coming out for it.

Republican Candidates
Senator John McCain, who has been a vocal proponent of a troop surge for a long time now (the plan was recently coined as the ‘McCain Doctrine’ by Former Senator John Edwards) supported the president today and in speeches given recently.

Former NY mayor Rudy Giuliani gave his support to the president’s plan during interviews throughout the night. He stated “Success or failure in Iraq is not a matter of partisan politics but a matter of national security. I support the president’s increase in troops.”

Governor Mitt Romney supported the President’s plan for a troop surge releasing a statement on his exploratory committee Web site. Romney said the following: “In consultation with Generals, military experts and troops who have served on the ground in Iraq, I believe securing Iraqi civilians requires additional troops. I support adding five brigades in Baghdad and two regiments in Al-Anbar province. Success will require rapid deployment.”

Senator Sam Brownback was in Iraq today meeting with the Maliki government. He took the opposing opinion to the President and most of the Republican candidates coming out in opposition to the troop surge saying “I do not believe that sending more troops to Iraq is the answer.” Quoted in the AP. He also stated “Iraq requires a political rather than a military solution”.

Democratic Candidates

The big news came from Hillary Clinton who is being quoted by MSNBC as saying, “I cannot support Bush’s proposed escalation of war in Iraq”. Clinton’s position on the war has been heavily questioned by those on the far left of the Democratic Party and many wondered if she would take a strong position on the subject.

Former Senator John Edwards said “The president’s decision is wrong for Iraq and wrong for America — and it’s time for the new Congress to stop Bush from stubbornly pursuing his failed strategy in Iraq”.

Senator Barack Obama has been making the rounds on the television stations giving his thoughts on the president’s speech and coming out against it.