Since the beginning of the Iraq War, plans and policies for withdrawal have been proposed and debated, with all of the pre-Obama administration plans being shut down by a Republican led congress or vetoed by former President George W. Bush.

On May 3, 2009, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Iraq would adhere to the withdrawal schedule agreed upon bilaterally with Barack Obama in January 2009. That agreement requires that US troops be withdrawn from towns and cities by June 2009, and a complete withdrawal by the end of 2001.Reuters: Iraq rules out extension of U.S. withdrawal dates (May 3, 2009)

A controversial issue, 51% of registered voters surveyed in May, 2007 supported a troop withdrawals. In April, 2007 congress passed a supplementary spending bill establishing a deadline for troop withdrawal, but this legislation was vetoed by President George W. Bush.

Many proponents of withdrawal proposed a plan establishing a series of benchmarks to be fulfilled by the Iraqi government. Some analysts, citing the instability in Iraq, stated that there is no safe way for the United States to withdraw.

On February 27, 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama announced in a speech made at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, that the majority of U.S. troops would be withdrawn from Iraq by August 2010 with between 35,000 to 50,000 troops remaining in the region to protect U.S. interests and advise the Iraqi military. He added that all troops would be withdrawn by December 31, 2011.CNN.com: Obama: U.S. to withdraw most Iraq troops by August 2010 (February 27, 2009)

The Iraq War was a major issue in the 2008 Presidential Election.