U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) makes a foreign policy speech on Iraq and American National Security in Washington, July 15, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    WASHINGTON, July 19 (Xinhua) -- In an embarrassment, the White House press office mistakenly sent out a message on Saturday that praises presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's troop withdrawal plan.

    The message is a Reuters news article describing Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's support and praise for Obama's plan, which the Republican White House would not agree.

    White House spokesman Scott Stanzel has acknowledged the mistake.

    The Obama campaign quickly took advantage of the mistake, forwarding an ABC report detailing the incident to its press list.

    This is not the first time the White House has made such error.

    But it is even more embarrassing this time as the Bush administration's recent agreement with Maliki on a "general time horizon" for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq is being cited by some as resembling Obama's proposal that U.S. forces should leave within 16 months.