If this all goes according to what we're told, I think people on both sides of the aisle should give Obama a lot of credit for being open and honest with the American people regarding the war in Iraq. The cost in lives and taxpayer dollars from this war is unforgivable and our President's actions are a good reminder of why I'm happy that McCain wasn't elected.
I'm trying hard to see if you're actually serious, because this is ridiculous.
You realize this time table was in place PRIOR to Obama right? That it was one Bush helped forge. What exactly makes you think that McCain would've done any different than Obama in regards to keeping to the time table Bush and the Iraqi's had already laid the groundwork for?
Al-Quaeda will throw a huge celebration barbecue and annouce to their supporters, "See, I told you they don't have the resolve for the fight."
This war against terror is in it's INFANTILE stages. They haven't even begun their fight yet.
Obama is a disaster like this country has never seen, and hopefully never will again.
Again, just like putting all the credit on Obama for the pull out is idiotic, so would be putting all the blame for it on him. This was a George Bush orchestrated plan, and while blame or credit can go to Obama for maintaining it, he should not be the sole reciever of whichever it is you think is warranted.
The barbeque thing is rather pointless though. If we stay, they're going to use it as propoganda. If we go, they're going to use it as propoganda. Its an emotional point made not for any legitimate use or for any kind of actual counter point, but to attempt to touch upon the listeners ego and pride and hope they make an emotional rather than logical judgement. Unless you're seriously telling me that us staying there wouldn't ALSO be used as propoganda to ramp up spirits and to ramp up recruitment, which would be idiotic, then its not really a "problem". All it would do is change what they were saying in their propoganda, but its not like it'd magically create more of it or create it out of no where. Similar things are already happening. These people are not dumb and they do not play the manipulation game only when its convienent to your emotional pleas to continue something; they're going to be spinning the issue regardless.
We have given a number of years and countless dollars and blood for the Iraqi's. I still think a PUBLIC time table was an error to do, but at the same time I believe hands were forced by it becoming a political issue which moved it out of the realm of simply being a military decision, which it should've been. However, what is being done is correct. The Iraqi government HAD to eventually have its feet put to the fire, like a 20-something who theoritically wants to move out but never bothers getting a job or finding a place, if we were ever going to have a limited active presence. By them working with the US to form the time table they're putting it on their shoulders.
Also, do not be fooled into thinking because the combat mission is going to end that that's the end of it. We're going to still have soldiers there, we're still going to be there to support the Iraqi's, but its time that they must take the lead role with us in support rather than the other way around.
Indeed, it would be idiotic for us to leave completely. Not just because as a fledgling government they'll need assistance, but because it would have made the war far more wasteful. One of the main benefits of Iraq is its strategic location centered within the middle of the Middle East, with close proximity to Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, etc. It gives us an ally that is not univesrally hated (in Israel) to which we can establish a presense both for psyops (attempting to change the hearts and minds of neighboring countries covertly) or actual operations should such a time ever come. It also is in the U.S.'s best long term interest to remain and assist, to see Iraq become a stable and prosperous Democracy to provide a middle eastern example of the good that can come from such a system.
