Barack Obama, the Democratic contender for the US presidency, has said his main priority as US president will be to end the US involvement in Iraq.
In a foreign policy speech, Senator Obama said "our single-minded and open-ended focus on Iraq is not a sound strategy for keeping America safe".
His second priority would be to take the war to al-Qaeda and the Taleban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
He criticised the policies of his Republican rival in November's poll.
John McCain says events on the ground must govern any Iraq pullout.
Earlier, President George W Bush rejected any "artificial" timetable for withdrawing US troops, saying a decision must be made "as conditions permit".
Mr Obama's speech comes ahead of a tour that will include Iraq and Afghanistan.
The dates of the trip have not been disclosed for security reasons.
BY-BBC NEWS
