The fifth-year anniversary made the Iraq war a rare topic on the campaign trail Wednesday. In North Carolina, Senator Barack Obama said his opposition to attacking Iraq from the outset puts him in better position to challenge Republican candidate John McCain.

Sen. Barack Obama: “The way to win a debate with John McCain is not to talk, act and vote like him on national security, because then we all lose. The way to win that debate and to keep America safe is to offer a clear contrast, and that’s what I will do when I am the nominee of the Democratic Party, because since before this war in Iraq, I’ve made different judgments. I have a different vision, and I will offer a clean break from the failed policies and politics of the past.”

In Detroit, Senator Hillary Clinton touted her plan to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq. Clinton said Iraqis should take responsibility now that the US has given them “the precious gift of freedom.”

Sen. Hillary Clinton: “I have been outlining plans as to what we can and must do to begin bringing our sons and daughters home. I am convinced that we can start within sixty days and do it in a responsible and careful manner, recognizing that the Iraqi government has to take responsibility for its own future, that we have given them the precious gift of freedom, and it is up to them to decide whether or not they will use it. But we cannot win their civil war. There is no military solution.”

Both Clinton and Obama’s withdrawal plans would leave tens of thousands of US troops and contractors in Iraq.