Edwards was a vocal critic of the Iraq War troop surge of 2007, calling the surge the "McCain Doctrine" in reference to Sen. John McCain's support for the strategy. He has stated that he cannot guarantee to pull all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the end of the next presidential term in 2013, but added he would "immediately draw down 40,000 to 50,000 troops." In October 2007, Edwards called for limits on the role of private military contractors in Iraq and elsewhere. At the beginning of 2008, Edwards proposed withdrawal of all troops from Iraq in the first 10 months if he became president.