Obama said a 'single-minded' focus on Iraq was distracting the United States from other threats and he renewed his vow to end the war. "This war diminishes our security, our standing in the world, our military, our economy, and the resources that we need to confront the challenges of the 21st century," Obama said in excerpts of a speech to be delivered later on Tuesday.
"By any measure, our single-minded and open-ended focus on Iraq is not a sound strategy for keeping America safe," he said. Obama, who has been accused by his Republican rival John McCain of shifting positions on Iraq, is seeking to lay out his views on the war ahead of a planned trip to Afghanistan and Iraq soon.
Dates of the trip have not been disclosed for security reasons. "This war distracts us from every threat that we face and so many opportunities we could seize," the speech excerpts said. "Instead of being distracted from the most pressing threats that we face, I want to overcome them."
The future of Iraq promises to be a central issue in the November election battle for the White House between McCain, an Arizona senator, and Obama, an Illinois senator. McCain criticised Obama for delivering a speech on Iraq before travelling there.
Obama's visit to Iraq, where he has only been once, in 2006, and Afghanistan follows repeated criticism from McCain that he should visit the area and talk to commanders. Obama has highlighted the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan as a threat that has been harder for the United States to tackle because of the distraction of the Iraq war.
"I have argued for years that we lack the resources to finish the job because of our commitment to Iraq," Obama said in the speech. "As president, I will make the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban the top priority that it should be," Obama said.