Audio Slide Show: Obama back in Waterloo »

WATERLOO - Presidential candidate Barack Obama on Sunday launched a public campaign to win enough votes to override a presidential veto of a troop withdrawal from Iraq.

In an exclusive interview with the Courier, Obama said he believed a phased troop withdrawal could be pushed through Congress this fall if the public applies enough pressure on Republicans over the summer.

"Wherever I go, I want to make sure the people understand we're just a few votes shy of starting to bring our troops home. It's not going to be immediate, but I think by the fall, if there's been concerted pressure over the summer (it could happen)," he said. "I think there are a number of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that already recognize the prospects of military resolution to the problem in Iraq is doubtful."

The move comes days after congressional Democrats began talking of reaching a compromise with Republicans on a troop withdrawal plan.

Speaking Sunday morning to 200 people at Dr. Walter Cunningham School of Excellence, the Illinois senator returned to his themes of hope through change and the power of grassroots politics. He told the audience to urge their representatives to vote for a bill to get out of Iraq, and said he knew "there's at least one senator right here in Iowa who could be helpful if he votes with us to bring this war to a close."

Though he didn't call him out by name, the message was directed clearly towards Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who voted against the Iraq war spending bill two weeks ago. A spokesman for Obama's campaign said the senator will make similar remarks in Virginia and Missouri later this week, applying public pressure to Republicans he believes can be persuaded to vote against the president on the issue.

Beth Levine, a spokeswoman for Grassley, said the senator feels strongly that a phased troop withdrawal is not in the best interests of the country.

"He would not support anything that lets the enemy know what our plans are," she said.

The Senate fell 16 votes short of overturning the president's veto of the Iraq war spending bill, and the House, with 222 votes for, fell far short of the two-thirds majority needed for an override.

Obama filled the elementary school's gymnasium and received several standing ovations from the energized crowd. He arrived decked out in his Sunday best, and visited nearby Antioch Baptist Church later that morning.

"I normally wouldn't be wearing a suit, but I'm going to church afterwards and I wouldn't want to get in trouble with the pastor," he said, warming up the crowd.

He touched on a variety of issues, including universal heath care, education and immigration reform and the need for a new energy policy. He received the loudest cheers of the morning when speaking out against the Iraq war, a topic he led with and returned to at the end of his speech.

"It's time to bring our troops home. It's time to end this fighting," he said.

Alex Fischels, 18, is enrolled this fall at the University of Iowa and will vote for the first time in 2008. An undecided voter, he said he liked what Obama had to say, but acknowledged "it's one thing to say it, and it's another thing to do it."

Ray Richardson, meanwhile, is sold on Obama as president. He said he believes what sets Obama apart from the crowd his "air of believability," which gives him reason to believe he will deliver on many of the issues he speaks on.

"I think he's right now what America needs," he said. Richardson is a longtime Waterloo educator and the former superintendent of the Ames Community School District.

Contact Jens Manuel Krogstad at (319) 291-1580 or jens.krogstad@wcfcourier.com.