| 美国民主党候选人放弃总统选举-1 Vilsack said the demands of raising large amounts of campaign donations as he competed against better known Democratic rivals was the major reason he decided to quit the race for the White House. "Today I am announcing that we are ending this presidential campaign," he said. Political analysts say the media focus on Clinton and Obama, who lead in public opinion polls, made it increasingly difficult for Vilsack to gain public visibility and raise money, two essentials for a successful presidential run. Just a few days ago at a Democratic candidate's forum in Nevada, Vilsack argued that the United States should begin an immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq. "What have you done today to end this war in Iraq? It needs to be ended now," he said. "Not six days from now, not six months from now, not six years from now. It needs to be ended now and it's up to you." Iraq remains the key issue among Democrats running for the White House and the contenders have staked out a wide variety of positions on the conflict. Among those Democrats who oppose an immediate withdrawal from Iraq is Delaware Senator Joe Biden. Biden believes the U.S. must take more time to stabilize Iraq before U.S. troops can leave. "But ladies and gentlemen, if that civil war metastasizes into a regional war, we are going to be sending your grandchildren back," he said. Some Democrats running for president have also made a point of saying they made a mistake when they supported President Bush's request to use force in Iraq back in 2002, in advance of the war launched in 2003. |
