Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa) caused a media frenzy recently by suggesting that U.S. troops be removed immediately from Iraq. The New York Times summarized the situation as follows: “Questions Long Avoided Now Take Center Stage.”

While it’s true that the New York Times has long avoided these questions, other mainstream Democrats have been strongly taking a position on this issue for quite some time — and their words are loud and clear: “Like, let’s bring the troops home later, ya know?”

Strong proponents of “troops out later” include Senators John Kerry, Hilary Clinton, and rising star Barack Obama. At a speech today, Obama reiterated this ideology, demanding that President Bush admit his mistakes in Iraq, but rejecting a timetable for troop withdrawal, declaring: “We need not a time-table….”

This “troops out later” position has often infuriated Vice President Dick Cheney, who calls for “troops out never.” But the intensity of Murtha’s “troops out now” outcry has caused Cheney to reluctantly acknowledge the withdrawal discussion as “entirely legitimate.”

Alongside Murtha on extreme left of the mainstream political spectrum is 52 percent of Americans, who think U.S. troops should be pulled out now or within 12 months. Even farther left is the Iraqi population, 82% of whom strongly oppose the presence of foreign troops.

For further reading, see Democrats and the War in The Nation.