Clinton, Obama, Edwards say a win in Iraq is impossible

The three leading Democratic presidential candidates said a military win in Iraq is impossible and that the U.S. should plan to withdraw troops no matter what the Army's top commander says in a report to Congress tomorrow.

General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker are scheduled to testify tomorrow and the next day on the military and political situation in Iraq. President Bush plans to address the nation this week before turning over to lawmakers his status report on the war, which is due by Sept. 15.

"Nothing which General Petraeus or Ambassador Crocker or anyone else coming before the Congress will say next week will in any way undermine the proposal that there's no military solution in Iraq," Sen. Hillary Clinton, 59, said in a debate in Miami broadcast on Univision.

Bush faces a showdown in Congress over Iraq as lawmakers express impatience with the pace of progress in the conflict. Bush has suggested that while some troops may be pulled out of Iraq next year as security continues to improve, his resolve to continue to fight "is as strong as it's ever been."

"Everyone is aware that there will be no military solution to what is happening in Iraq," Sen. Barack Obama, 46, said in the debate, which had the candidates agreeing on most issues from Iraq to immigration to relations with Latin America.

Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards pushed members of Congress to force the president into committing to a troop withdrawal.

"I believe no political progress means no funding without a timetable for withdrawal. And if the president vetoes a bill that has a timetable for withdrawal, then Congress should send him another bill and continue to do it until he's forced to start withdrawing troops," Edwards, 54, said.

Polls show increasing public skepticism about reports of progress in Iraq and support for a U.S. withdrawal.

A Washington Post/ABC News poll released Sunday shows 53 percent of Americans say they expect Petraeus will try to make the situation in Iraq look better than it is. The latest New York Times/CBS News poll, also released Sunday, showed that 62 percent of those polled said the U.S. made a mistake getting involved in Iraq, and 45 percent said Bush's troop increase hasn't had an impact on the situation in Iraq. During their last debate on Aug. 19, Clinton, Obama and Edwards all warned that pulling U.S. forces out of Iraq will take time and that any withdrawal must be balanced by security concerns.