VP Debate - Iraq: What is your exit strategy strategy for...

MS. IFILL: You both have sons who are in Iraq or on their way to

Iraq. You, Governor Palin, have said that you would like to see a

real clear plan for an exit strategy. What should that be, governor?

GOV. PALIN: I am very thankful that we do have a good plan. And

the surge and the counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq that has proven

to work, I am thankful that that is part of the plan implemented under

a great American hero, General Petraeus, and pushed hard by another

great American, Senator John McCain.

I know that the other ticket opposed this surge, in fact, even

opposed funding for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Barack Obama

voted against funding troops there after promising that he would not

do so. And Senator Biden, I respected you when you called him out on

that. You said that his vote was political and you said it would cost

lives. And Barack Obama at first said he would not do that. He

turned around under political pressure and he voted against funding

the troops.

We do have a plan for withdrawal. We don't need early -- early

withdrawal out of Iraq. We cannot afford to lose there or we're going

to be no better off in the war in Afghanistan, either. We have got to

win in Iraq. And with the surge that has worked, we're now down to

pre-surge numbers in Iraq.

That's where we can be. We can start putting more troops in

Afghanistan as we also work with our NATO allies who are there

strengthening us. And we need to grow our military. We cannot afford

to lose against al Qaeda and the Shi'a extremists who are still there,

still fighting us. But we're getting closer