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US combat mission in Iraq to end on schedule Aug 31: Obama

danarhea

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ATLANTA, Georgia — President Barack Obama pledged Monday that the United States will end its combat mission in Iraq as scheduled on August 31 despite a recent flare-up in violence.


Obama told a veterans group meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, that he would meet the deadline he established shortly after taking office "for a transition to full Iraqi responsibility."


"I made it clear that by August 31, 2010, America's combat mission in Iraq would end," he told the group. "And that is exactly what we are doing -- as promised, on schedule."

OK, it is now up to the Iraqis to determine their own future. We will still have about 50,000 troops there until the end of the year, but the writing is now on the wall. The end of this huge blunder known as the Iraq War is in sight, and now it is time to correct another mistake, namely not finishing the job we had to do when we were attacked on 9/11. This, of course, is Afghanistan.

Article is here.
 
With the constant and massive waves of terror attacks within Iraq, is this really the right thing to do?
 
With the constant and massive waves of terror attacks within Iraq, is this really the right thing to do?

You think we should babysit for them? They are big boys, and they can make their own decisions. If they want rule by anarchy and violence, that is their own business, as long as the anarchy and violence does not go beyond their borders. If it does, then we kick their ass again. Otherwise, let them pack their own chutes, for a change.
 
You think we should babysit for them?

I just find it weird that exactly now when terrorism is at its golden age in Iraq the military is withdrawing. It's a weird timing.
 
I just find it weird that exactly now when terrorism is at its golden age in Iraq the military is withdrawing. It's a weird timing.

It's not weird timing. It was a treaty drawn up during the last administration. The Iraqis have had 2 years to get their **** together. Enough is enough.
 
With the constant and massive waves of terror attacks within Iraq, is this really the right thing to do?

Yes, it is. Sooner or later, Iraq has to handle their own problems. While I disagree with invading Iraq, once we were there, no one can say we did not do enough to help them repair and rebuild their country. Now it is time to let them do for themselves.
 
Well there are going to be a few last attacks in an attempt to stop us from leaving. I'm sure they would love us to continually avoid leaving. That's what they want us to do. Spend more money babysitting them.
 
This is great news... well, it's only news because we're so used to being lied to by politicians. 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 have a few friends that I can't wait to see come home permanently. I have a few friends in Afghanistan, too... that's a different story.
 
This is great news... well, it's only news because we're so used to being lied to by politicians. 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 have a few friends that I can't wait to see come home permanently. I have a few friends in Afghanistan, too... that's a different story.

No man, didn't you hear? This was a war of Obama's choosing. Why would we credit him?
 
OK, it is now up to the Iraqis to determine their own future. We will still have about 50,000 troops there until the end of the year, but the writing is now on the wall. The end of this huge blunder known as the Iraq War is in sight, and now it is time to correct another mistake, namely not finishing the job we had to do when we were attacked on 9/11. This, of course, is Afghanistan.

Article is here.

You Hawks have to have a shooting war somewhere and it doesn't matter if nothing is proved, solved, or rearranged.

Jingo bells, Jingo bells, Jingo all the way. Oh what fun it is to read the death role every day...

Take things as they are, not as they could or should be.

ricksfolly
 
OK, it is now up to the Iraqis to determine their own future. We will still have about 50,000 troops there until the end of the year, but the writing is now on the wall. The end of this huge blunder known as the Iraq War is in sight, and now it is time to correct another mistake, namely not finishing the job we had to do when we were attacked on 9/11. This, of course, is Afghanistan.

Article is here.

I'll believe it when I see it.
 
OK, it is now up to the Iraqis to determine their own future. We will still have about 50,000 troops there until the end of the year, but the writing is now on the wall. The end of this huge blunder known as the Iraq War is in sight, and now it is time to correct another mistake, namely not finishing the job we had to do when we were attacked on 9/11. This, of course, is Afghanistan.

Article is here.

ok, this actually scares me. it's like US is closing a front, just to open another one up. and guess what, all the world is talking about Iran.
 
ok, this actually scares me. it's like US is closing a front, just to open another one up. and guess what, all the world is talking about Iran.

Or we're closing a front to save a little bit of money, or transfer some much needed reinforcements to Afghanistan.
 
Bah, Obama is full of ****. If he gets our troops out of Iraq he'll just inject them into Iran or into Pakistan. Which just what the neocons and his filth want.
 
You think we should babysit for them? They are big boys, and they can make their own decisions. If they want rule by anarchy and violence, that is their own business, as long as the anarchy and violence does not go beyond their borders. If it does, then we kick their ass again. Otherwise, let them pack their own chutes, for a change.

We're still babysitting the Germans, 70 years after the end of WW2.

Might as well start gearing up for the 3rd Iraq War.
 
Good news, we've been there way too long, and it's about damn time we got out of Iraq.

A little off-topic but traffic was a bitch downtown today.
 
This is great news... well, it's only news because we're so used to being lied to by politicians. 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 have a few friends that I can't wait to see come home permanently. I have a few friends in Afghanistan, too... that's a different story.

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.
 
I think they should have been all withdrawn as soon as Obama took office and put into Afghanistan, not timetabled out like what is being done. I haven't seen the necessity for them to be there for the last one and a half years when we handed over, I think, all of them, if not most of the combat operations. There are still casualties in Iraq, I'm not sure why though. The Iraqi security forces are much better now, Iraq can handle the occasional attack on its own.
 
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.

I've always hated that term, "The war on terror". It's stupid, you can't have a war on terror, terrorism is a tactic used by people, or a specific group of people. It's not something you can defeat, it's like having a war on air strikes.
 
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.

Lovely talking points. I like how you start out by confusing the war in Iraq with Osama Bin Laden. You're what... almost exactly 10 years behind the curve? Very nice. If you believe everything you just said, you must ignore a whole lot of facts.
 
We're still babysitting the Germans, 70 years after the end of WW2.

Might as well start gearing up for the 3rd Iraq War.

Bases like Ramstein aren't in Germany because we need to "babysit" the German people. It is in use for it's stragetic purposes, not to mention bases such as Ramstein are a massive boost to Deutchland's economy. Not only that it is used by many of our allies including CA, SK, UK, JP, and AU specifically. There is no tactical purpose to set up a massive installation inside Iraqi especially when we also have major installations within Kuwait.

Anyways, glad to see that this is finally happening.
 
This doesn't seem to mean very much. We'll still have 50,000 troops there, they'll still be engaging in combat, and we'll probably try to extend their mandate after 2011. I don't think we'll be leaving Iraq to the Iraqis any time soon. It would defeat the whole purpose of the mission.
 
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.
 
I just find it weird that exactly now when terrorism is at its golden age in Iraq the military is withdrawing. It's a weird timing.

Exactly how long do you believe that U.S. forces should stay on the ground in Iraq, trying to maintain order? There comes a point when perhaps us being there with 100K troops on the ground is part of the problem. It becomes a focus for feeling like we are conquering invaders, and takes the emphasis off of the Iraqi people doing for themselves. Do the Iraqis want U.S. forces in Iraq in those kinds of numbers? Clearly, they do not. We are responding to THEIR WILL in the matter.
 
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ok, this actually scares me. it's like US is closing a front, just to open another one up. and guess what, all the world is talking about Iran.

I don't think that Iran is going to be invaded by the U.S. anytime soon. The American people are not supportive of this, and our troops are actually stretched to their limits. We have guys who've done multiple tours in Iraq and whose personal lives have become very difficult as a result. There comes a time to say what our limits our, and we've done all we can in Iraq, IMO. THis is a matter of us having an end point for a not very well planned campaign.

Iran is a different situation. I think many of us are still hoping that the Iranian people will eventually create a democracy on their own impetus.

Iranian%20voter%20green%20fingers.jpg
 
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