As we all know, the next presidential election is coming soon. We are well into the primaries and caucuses, but it's not too late to learn about the candidates. The general election won't be held until this November, but now is the time to find out which candidate shares your beliefs on the issues.

Military policy is a big issue in this election, as Americans wonder if this war is going to end with a new president. On the Democratic side with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, we see a gradual end to the Iraq war. With Republicans Mike Huckabee and John McCain, we may be in it for the long haul.

Hillary Clinton voted yes for the war, but said she would not vote yes now. Until this week's Texas debate, she did not indicate much regret for her decision. Clinton said on the floor of the Senate in 2007, "If I had been president in October of 2002, I would have never asked for authority to divert our attention from Afghanistan to Iraq, and I certainly would never have started this war."

She has said that if elected president, she would begin troop movement back to the states within 60 days of taking office with a goal to have them removed by 2013. She has also stated that slow, carefully planned withdrawal is the best way to go.

I personally believe that very slow removal of troops is the best way to do things, but only if the situation becomes and remain stable in Iraq.

Barack Obama was against this war from the beginning and has said he wants to pull U.S. troops. In a speech to the Illinois State legislature, he said, "I know that invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East and encourage the worst rather than best impulses in the Arab world and strengthen the recruitment arm of al Qaeda. I am not opposed to all wars; I am opposed to dumb wars." His said his plan, if elected, is to withdraw troops in 16 months, while leaving some to "combat terrorism." He believes that this is not a military issue but a political one.

I agree partially with this. I think that if the Iraqis can build a strong government, they will be able to hold their own. But with all the unrest, it is hard to bring these people together.

Republican candidate Mike Huckabee, on ABC News This Week, said he will not withdraw troops from Iraq "any faster than Gen. David Petraeus, the top American commander there, recommends…the Iraqi government has to take on responsibilities for security." He wants to finish this war and finish it right.

This is true; if you start a war, you should finish it right. Americans backed this war from the beginning because they felt threatened by the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Support for troops was high, and American flags were flying en masse. Patriotism was so strong, and now people have become bored with this war. Now, instead of safety, they are worried about their wallets. Worried about recession and blaming the government for their every woe. Wake up, people: it's true that things haven't been going that well, and the government definitely is corrupt, but it always has been, and Bush isn't to blame for all our problems.

Last but not least, Republican front runner John McCain is also for troops remaining in Iraq. He said to the New York Times, "I agreed with the President's difficult decision to go to war in Iraq. I remain fully supportive of his determination not to leave Iraq until the freely elected government of that country and its armed forces are able to defend their country from foreign and domestic enemies intent on thwarting the will of the Iraqi people to create a civil society in which the rights and security of all Iraqis are protected."