Barack Obama is opening the door to altering his plan to bring home U.S. troops from Iraq in 16 months.

Obama says he's "going to do a thorough assessment" during his
upcoming trip to the war-torn country.

The remarks stand in contrast to those from earlier in his candidacy, when the Democrat displayed a hard-edged, vocal opposition to the war effort.

Republicans are pouncing on his latest comments. National GOP spokesman Alex Conant says, "There appears to be no issue that Barack Obama is not willing to reverse himself on for the sake of political expedience."

Obama says he still opposes the war, but adds that the U.S. needs to be "careful" in withdrawing troops.

Obama also plans to visit Afghanistan this summer.