Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Saturday his plan to end the Iraq war was unchanged and he was puzzled by the sharp reaction to his statement this week that he might "refine" his timetable for withdrawing U.S. combat troops. "For me to say that I'm going to refine my policies I don't think in any way is inconsistent with prior statements and doesn't change my strategic view that this war has to end and that I'm going to end it as president," Obama told reporters on his campaign plane.
Obama, who based his drive to capture the Democratic nomination on his early and ardent opposition to the war, said on Wednesday he might alter his plan to bring combat troops home within 16 months of taking office if conditions on the ground changed.
The comment drew heavy coverage and sharp criticism from some on the left and the right, with Republicans saying it showed he was vacillating on Iraq.
"I was a little puzzled by the frenzy that I set off with what I thought was a pretty innocuous statement," he said on a flight from Montana to St. Louis. "I am absolutely committed to ending the war. I will call my joint chiefs of staff in and give them a new assignment and that is to end the war."
Obama will face Republican John McCain, a staunch advocate of the war, in a November presidential race that is certain to focus heavily on the future of U.S. troops in Iraq.
Obama said he did not make a mistake on Wednesday with his choice of words in describing his Iraq position -- even though he called a second news conference a few hours after his initial comments to clarify his stance.
He laid the blame with reporters.
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