Obama Press Conference on the Other Hill

Obama is in Amman, Jordan this morning and just finished the first press conference of his trip to Afghanistan and Iraq. Standing in front of the Citadel -- a maze of ruins on a hill above the sprawl that is Amman -- he answered questions about the political situation in both countries.

Yesterday, the Senator took a helicopter ride with Gen. Petraeus above Baghdad to survey the progress there. Obama told reporters today that he understands why Petraeus is opposed to a timetable -- because as the commanding general on the ground, flexibility is key. In fact, Obama said, with Petreaus' job he'd probably feel the same way. But as President, Obama continued, his job would extend beyond Iraq.

Obama on his conversations with Gen. Petraeus:

Obama also didn't back off his initial criticism of the surge, saying we don't know what might have happened had we not committed more troops.

Obama on the surge:

And he commented on the perception that there are only two options regarding Iraq: a rigid timetable that doesn't take the situation on the ground into account or an indefinite commitment with no timetable. He maintains that he still aims to be out of Iraq in 16 months. But if there were a resurgence of ethnic violence that threatened to become genocide, for example, he reserves the right to intervene.

Obama on options in Iraq:

The site of the press conference, the Citadel, is a popular tourist attraction in Amman. According to veteran NPR foreign producer,Tom Bullock, he picked a good spot, where the sounds from all the surrounding mosques converge at times of prayer.

The call to prayer came shortly before Obama began.

-- Thomas Pierce

11:36 AM ET | 07-22-2008 | permalink

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