Jimmy Carter Blasts Iraq as an ‘Unnecessary War’, Urges Troop Withdrawal

Speaking at a news conference before a building dedication at the University of Washington today, former President Jimmy Carter criticized the war in Iraq and urged a "troop drawdown as the United States enters its fourth year of conflict in Iraq."

"It was a completely unnecessary war. It was an unjust war," said Carter, the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize winner. "It was initiated on the basis of false pretenses. All of those are true, but we can't just pre-emptively withdraw."

He urged the Bush administration to bring home as many troops as possible within the next 12 months.

"The violence is increasing monthly," Carter said. "My prayer is we'll see some kind of democracy eventually evolve."

Carter's call for a troop drawdown sounds vaguely familiar... It sounds a bit like John Kery's call for a troop drawdown back in November.