WASHINGTON  – President Barack Obama is seeking $83.4 billion for U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, pressing for a war supplemental spending bill like the ones he repeatedly voted against when he was senator and George W. Bush was president.

Obama’s request would push the costs of the two wars to almost $1 trillion since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, according to the Congressional Research Service. The additional money would cover operations into the fall.

Budget office spokesman Tom Gavin said the White House will send an official request to Congress Thursday afternoon. Congressional aides briefed on the request revealed its overall cost on condition of anonymity since the briefing was private.

Obama was a harsh critic of the Iraq war as a candidate, a stance that attracted support from the Democratic Party’s liberal base and helped him secure his party’s nomination. He opposed a war spending bill in 2007 after Bush used a veto to force Congress to remove a withdrawal timeline from the $99 billion measure.

The upcoming request will include $75.5 billion for the military and more than $7 billion in foreign aid.

Obama announced plans in February to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq on a 19-month timetable.

Obama’s request would push the amount approved for 2009 to about $150 billion, a drop from the $171 billion cost incurred in 2007 and the $188 billion approved for 2008, when Bush increased the tempo of military operations in a generally successful effort to quell the Iraq insurgency.

Bobby Ghosh, Senior Editor Time Magazine, tells CNN’s Kiran Chetry the president should have visited Afghanistan before he went to Iraq.

BAGHDAD  – President Barack Obama says there’s “still a lot of work to do” in Iraq — where he arrived today on an unannounced visit.

Obama flew from Turkey after his European trip. He greeted the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and then stepped into an SUV for a brief ride to Camp Victory, the main U.S. military base in Iraq.

His motorcade rolled past troops standing at attention. Obama said it was “wonderful” to see them. He met with about 600 troops, and aides said he was presenting combat medals to 10 of them.

Obama spoke favorably of political progress being made in Iraq. But he also voiced concern that recent gains could be eroded with upcoming national elections. He says he thinks his presence will help encourage Iraqis to resolve differences in “equitable” ways.

Officials said Iraq’s prime minister would travel by motorcade to meet with Obama — who had initially planned to go by helicopter to the Green Zone. Officials say poor visibility, rather than security concerns, prompted the change in plans.

More than half of North Carolinians are unaware that state laws exist to allow public access to government records, according to the latest Elon University Poll, but nearly all respondents feel democracy is best when it operates openly.
 
The poll, conducted March 15-19, surveyed 620 North Carolina residents and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.0 percentage points. Respondents were polled during Sunshine Week, an effort by the American Society of Newspaper Editors to educate citizens about open government and access to records.
           
Sixty-three percent of respondents said they are not familiar with Sunshine Laws – rules for open meetings and access to government records – in North Carolina. Despite the lack of awareness, most citizens see the value of public access to records.  Sixty-eight percent said this kind of access is “very important,” while 88 percent feel open records and meetings keep government operations honest. 
 
Sixty-nine percent of respondents rejected the notion that closed records and meetings allow government to get things done more effectively.  While the majority of citizens advocate for government transparency, 77 percent feel exceptions should be made if such action will aid the war on terrorism.

More than half of respondents (52 percent) have attempted to gain access to public documents in the past.  Of these individuals, 83 percent were successful in their efforts.
 
Issues facing North Carolina and approval ratings

The economy remained the top concern facing North Carolinians surveyed as part of the same poll, with 44 percent of residents identifying it as the most vital issue facing the state. Twenty-six percent of respondents identified jobs and unemployment as the most significant issue for North Carolinians.
 
Most North Carolinians approve of President Obama’s handling of his job, the economy and the war in Iraq.
 
Sixty-one percent of residents say they approve of the way Obama is performing.  Fifty-eight percent of respondents approve of President Obama’s handling of the economy, while 35 percent disapprove.
Obama has gained the support of North Carolinians in regard to the war in Iraq, with 65 percent approving of how he is handling the conflict. Even with this support in place, 44 percent felt that the nation is more at risk of future terrorist attacks.
 
North Carolinians believe Obama’s plan to withdraw most U.S. troops from Iraq is appropriate, with 68 percent supporting the policy.  When asked whether the war in Iraq was worth fighting:

• 54 percent of respondents indicated it was not worth fighting.
• 40 percent stand behind the war.

“Despite the gloomy outlook on national affairs, North Carolinians maintain their confidence in the new president’s leadership on both the economy and the war in Iraq,” said Hunter Bacot, director of the Elon University Poll.
           
Fifty three percent of North Carolinians approve of the job the Democratic members of the state General Assembly are doing, with 26 percent disapproving. Conversely, the Republicans received an approval rating of 41 percent, while 37 percent of those polled disapproved of their performance.
 
Respondents were asked about the effectiveness of North Carolina Senate and House leadership. The results were as follows:

• Leadership in the N.C. House of Representatives
• 50 percent approve of the job by House leadership
• 23 percent disapprove of the job by House leadership
   
• Leadership in the N.C. Senate
• 50 percent approve of the job by Senate leadership
• 25 percent disapprove of the job by Senate leadership
   

North Carolinians also asked about the performance of their House and Senate representatives in the state legislature. The results were as follows:
 
State House Representatives

• 56 percent approve of their performance
• 10 percent disapprove of their performance
   
  State Senate Representatives
• 58 percent approve of their performance
• 18 percent disapprove of their performance

WASHINGTON  – President Barack Obama’s pick to become U.S. ambassador to Iraq is meeting with Republican senators, who are divided over his nomination.

Sen. Richard Lugar, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, was expected to issue a statement in support of Christopher Hill. At the same time, Sen. Jon Kyl, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate, has signed onto a letter asking Obama to reconsider his choice.

The Republican pushback makes it difficult for Hill, who would have to be confirmed by 60 votes to overcome procedural hurdles. But Lugar’s support is significant because it could provide other GOP moderates with political cover to support Hill.

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.  – President Barack Obama’s speech at Camp Lejeune is expected to be the announcement of a timetable for troop withdrawal from Iraq.

The White House announced that Obama would be speaking Friday at 11:45 a.m. at Camp Lejeune, but didn’t specify what he would speak about. But Vice President Joe Biden, on NBC’s Today show Wednesday, said Obama would announce a timetable for the Iraq withdrawal on Friday.

Friday’s visit marks the first time the president will be in the state since winning the election last November. He made several campaign stops in the state last year.

WASHINGTON  – A substantial number of the roughly 100,000 U.S. combat troops to be pulled out of Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010, will remain in the war zone through at least the end of this year to ensure national elections there go smoothly, senior Obama administration officials say.

That pacing suggests that although Obama’s promised withdrawal will start soon, it will be backloaded, with larger numbers of troops returning later in the 18-month time frame.

Obama was to announce his strategy Friday at the sprawling Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, where thousands of Marines are soon heading to another war front, Afghanistan.

The administration now considers Aug. 31, 2010, the end date for Iraq war operations.

That timetable is slower than Obama had promised voters, but still hastens the U.S. exit.

Even with the drawdown, a sizable U.S. force of 35,000 to 50,000 U.S. troops will stay in Iraq under a new mission of training, civilian protection and counterterrorism.

The potential size of that remaining force doesn’t please leaders of Obama’s own Democratic Party, who had envisioned a fuller withdrawal. Obama personally briefed House and Senate members of both parties about his intentions behind closed doors Thursday.

Republican Sen. John McCain, who lost the presidential election to Obama, offered his support for the plan Friday.

“I think the plan is significantly different than the plan Obama had during the campaign,” said McCain, referring to Obama’s campaign pledge to pull combat troops out of Iraq within 16 months
of taking office if possible.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers in the briefing that ground commanders in Iraq believe the plan poses only a moderate risk to security, McCain said.

War critics are ready to hear Obama’s public words. They see his much-anticipated announcement as the beginning of the end of a long, costly conflict.

The last of the U.S. troops are to be out of Iraq no later than Dec. 31, 2011. That’s the deadline set under an agreement the two countries sealed during George W. Bush’s presidency. Obama has no plans to extend that date or pursue any permanent troop presence in Iraq.

Administration officials spoke about Obama’s Iraq decision under condition of anonymity to discuss details of the strategy ahead of the announcement.

The Iraq war helped fuel Obama’s presidential bid. Most Americans think the war was a mistake. More than 4,250 U.S. military members have died in the war.

From the Jan. 20 start of his presidency to his deadline for ending the combat mission, Obama has settled on a 19-month withdrawal. He had promised the faster pace of 16 months during his campaign but also said he would confer with military commanders on a responsible exit.

Officials said Thursday that the timetable Obama ultimately selected was the recommendation of all the key principals – including Gates and Mullen. The timeline was settled on as the one that would best manage security risks without jeopardizing the gains of recent months.

With 142,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, Obama plans to withdraw most of them; the total comes to roughly 92,000 to 107,000, based on administration projections.

Officials said Obama would not set a more specific schedule, such as how many troops will exit per month because he wants to give his commanders in Iraq flexibility. “They’ll either speed it up or slow it down, depending on what they need,” said one official.

Yet the officials made clear Obama wants to keep a strong security presence in Iraq through a series of elections in 2009, capped by national elections tentatively set for December. That important, final election date could slip into 2010, which is perhaps why Obama’s timetable for withdrawing combat troops has slipped by a few months, too.

One official said Gen. Ray Odierno, the top American commander in Baghdad, wants a “substantial force on the ground in Iraq to ensure that the elections come off.”

Another official said Odierno wanted flexibility around the elections. “The president found that very compelling,” the official said.

Obama has maintained that getting out of Iraq is in the security interest of the United States. He planned to emphasize in his comments on Friday, however, that the U.S. has no plans to withdraw from its interests in the region and will intensify its diplomatic efforts.

The senior administration officials sought to describe Obama’s decision-making process as one that was not driven by his political promise to end the war. They said he consulted extensively with his military team while interagency government teams reviewed the options.

Obama made the final decision on Thursday, officials said.

The U.S. forces that will remain in Iraq starting Sept. 1, 2010, will have three missions: training and advising Iraqi security forces; providing protection and support for U.S. and other civilians working on missions in the country; and targeted counterterrorism.

McCain, R-Ariz., said his understanding is that the troops left behind would still go on combat patrols alongside Iraqis as part of the advisory role.

“They’ll still be in harm’s way,” he said. “There’s no doubt about it.”

Obama had said all along he would keep a residual force in Iraq.

“When they talk about 50,000, that’s a little higher number than I had anticipated,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said before the briefing at the White House. Among others there was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has also expressed concern about the troop levels.

Violence is down significantly in Baghdad and most of Iraq, although many areas remain unstable. U.S. military deaths in Iraq plunged by two-thirds in 2008 from the previous year, a reflection of the improving security after a troop buildup in 2007.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama proposed war spending Thursday that nears $11 billion a month for the next year and a half despite the planned drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq.

The Obama administration wants to spend about $75 billion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through next fall, costs that were largely set by the previous Bush administration. On top of that the budget proposal released Thursday asks Congress for $130 billion for next year.

It’s not clear yet whether Obama’s promise to bring combat troops home from Iraq will carry a cost savings in the near term.

The United States has been spending some $11 billion to $12 billion per month fighting two wars.

“The president is working with his military commanders to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan while responsibly removing combat forces from Iraq,” the White House budget summary said, but details of military spending were not included.

Obama has said he will no longer hide the full costs of the war, as he accused his predecessor of doing, and he did include a special category for war spending in material released to support his budget request for next year.

In years past, the Bush administration separated its spending for things like weapons and military pay from the cost of the wars. It was something of an accounting trick that some Democrats grumbled made it hard to compute the true costs of the unpopular war in Iraq.

Obama’s budget summary doesn’t list the projected costs for each war individually, and a defense official said the $130 billion war request also includes some costs for other overseas spending such as military help in Pakistan.

And as in years past, the figure for what Obama now calls “overseas contingency operations” doesn’t give the complete picture of war spending. Like the old separate war requests under the Bush administration, the Obama category omits military pay, health care and other costs.

Those costs are part of the nearly $534 billion Obama wants for regular Pentagon operations next year.

Altogether, Obama is asking for $739 billion for the military through the fall of 2010.

WASHINGTON  – The United States plans to withdraw most of its troops from Iraq by August 2010, 19 months after President Barack Obama’s inauguration, according to administration officials.
 
The withdrawal plan would fulfill one of Obama’s central campaign pledges, albeit a little more slowly than he promised. He said he would withdraw troops within 16 months, roughly one brigade a month from the time of his inauguration.

The officials said they expect Obama to make the announcement this week. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan has not been made public.

The U.S. military will leave behind a residual force, between 30,000 and 50,000 troops, to continue advising and training Iraqi security forces, the two officials said. Also staying beyond the 19 months will be intelligence and surveillance specialists and their equipment, including unmanned aircraft, they said.

A further withdrawal will take place before December 2011, the period by which the U.S. agreed with Iraq to remove all American troops.

A senior White House official said Tuesday that Obama is at least a day away from making a final decision. He further said an announcement on Wednesday was unlikely, but he said that Obama could discuss Iraq during a trip to North Carolina on Friday.

About 142,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq, roughly 14 brigades, about 11,000 above the total in Iraq when President George W. Bush announced in January 2007 that he would “surge” the force to put down the insurgency. He sent an additional 21,000 combat troops to Baghdad and Anbar province.

Although the number of combat brigades has dropped from 20 to 14, the U.S. has increased the number of logistical and other support troops. A brigade is usually about 3,000 to 5,000 troops.

Obama’s campaign promise to withdraw troops in 16 months was based on a military estimate on what would be an orderly pace of removing troops, given the logistical difficulties of removing so many people and tons of equipment, a U.S. military official said.

The 19-month strategy is a compromise between commanders and advisers who are worried that security gains could backslide in Iraq and those who think the bulk of U.S. combat work is long since done.
 
The White House considered at least two other options to withdraw combat forces – one that followed Obama’s 16-month timeline and one that stretched withdrawal over 23 months, the AP reported earlier this month.

Some U.S. commanders have spoken more optimistically in recent months about prospects for reducing the force. Maj. Gen. Michael Oates, who commands U.S. forces in central and southern Iraq, told reporters earlier this month that he believed the gains in stability in that area were now irreversible.

According to officials, Obama had requested a range of options from his top military advisers, including one that would have withdrawn troops in 16 months. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had recently forwarded withdrawal alternatives to the White House for Obama’s consideration.
 
In addition to the U.S. troops to be withdrawn, there is a sizable cadre of contractors who provide services to them who would pack their bags as well. There were 148,050 defense contractor personnel working in Iraq as of December, 39,262 of them U.S. citizens.

There are more than 200 U.S. military installations in Iraq. According to Army officials interviewed by the Government Accountability Office, it can take up to two months to shut down small outposts that hold up to 300 troops. Larger entrenched facilities, like Balad Air Base, could take up to 18 months to close, according to the GAO.

As of Monday, at least 4,250 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. More than 31,000 have been injured.

Congress has approved more than $657 billion so far for the Iraq war, according to a report last year from the Congressional Research Service.