^Obama to pull combat troops from Iraq in 2010

^By Ed Henry, Dana Bash, Deirdre Walsh and Ted Barrett
^CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama told Congressional leaders Thursday he's planning to pull all combat troops out of Iraq by August 2010, which falls short of his campaign promise of bringing all combat forces home within 16 months, according to three Congressional officials familiar with the meeting.

Under this scenario, all combat troops will be withdrawn within 19 months of Obama's January inauguration, three months longer than his promise on the campaign trail.

The officials said that at a White House meeting Thursday evening, Obama also revealed to lawmakers that after combat troops are out he plans to keep a range of 35,000 to 50,000 support troops on the ground in Iraq. All U.S. troops have to be out of Iraq by December 31, 2011 under an agreement the Bush administration signed with the Iraqi government last year.

White House officials have confirmed the president will deliver a speech about Iraq to troops at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina on Friday, his first visit to a military base since being sworn into office. But the officials refused to comment on the details of Obama's plan.

While liberals may be frustrated that Obama is not keeping his campaign promise to the letter, the president could win credit from some lawmakers in both parties for giving military commanders more time and flexibility to finish the mission.