Washington — Barack Obama’s victory in the 2008 presidential election puts a Democrat in charge of the White House for the first time since Bill Clinton left office in January 2001.
Below are some of the possible consequences of the move:
• Obama has promised an orderly withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and a greater focus on the war in Afghanistan. Democrats will call on him to carry out his pledge, but the gains that have been made in Iraq in recent months may make it tempting for Obama to stop short of his pledge to pull out one combat brigade per month until they are all withdrawn.