Schwarzenegger: Set A Deadline to Leave Iraq

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has contradicted President George W. Bush on Bay Area television, saying the U.S. would have to put a deadline on withdrawing from Iraq.

"I think that we should get out of there as quickly as we can because, you know, we should have a deadline of when we pull the troops out and figure that out and work together with the government in Iraq. I think they are doing that now," he told CBS5 in San Francisco.

When the reporter said Bush did not want a deadline, Schwarzenegger replied: 'Well, I think that eventually he will have to put a deadline on there. I think the American people will demand it.' "

In September, state Treasurer Phil Angelides called for California National Guard troops to be removed from Iraq. Schwarzenegger's campaign called him "irresponsible." Angelides has sought to link the Republican governor with the war because he campaigned for Bush in Ohio two years ago. In February, Schwarzenegger said the U.S. should "get out as quickly as possible, but also in a sensible way." He nevertheless defended Bush's decision to go to war.

(Photo: Crystal Chatham / AP)