By: Politico Staff

Competing Plans

Republican John McCain backed the war in Iraq. Barack Obama protested it from the start. And they disagree as well on how to handle veterans’ health care and on some homeland security policy.

John McCain’s Plan
• Win the war in Iraq without committing to a timetable for withdrawing U.S. forces.
• Apply the Iraq “surge” strategy focusing on counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan and press NATO allies to add up to three brigades there.
• Apply pressure to Iran with the help of allied countries. Use military forces in Iraq to deter involvement by Iran there. But no direct negotiations without preconditions.
• Continue to deploy anti-missile systems while testing them.
• Expand veterans’ health care, including a system of veterans care access cards to supplement health care for low-income veterans by giving them access to private doctors.
• Use the 2006 Military Combatants Act to try suspected terrorists.

Barack Obama’s Plan
• Begin a 16-month phased withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.
• Send two brigades of about 10,000 troops to Afghanistan and tap into more humanitarian and “soft power” approaches there.
• Test the anti-missile defense system before it’s deployed.
• Negotiate directly with Iran without preconditions, but do not use the U.S. military in Iraq to counter the threat from Iran.
• Expand veterans’ health care, but not with new veterans’ health care credit cards.
• Restore habeas corpus rights to prisoners suspected of terrorism.

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