Obama in Baghdad, tells troops Iraq must take over
April 7th, 2009 . by TexasFredObama in Baghdad, tells troops Iraq must take over
BAGHDAD (AP) - Cheered wildly by U.S. troops, President Barack Obama flew unannounced into Iraq on Tuesday and promptly declared it was time for Iraqis to “take responsibility for their country” after America’s commitment of six years and thousands of lives.
“You have given Iraq the opportunity to stand on its own as a democratic country,” the president said as he made a brief inspection of a war he opposed as candidate and now vows to end as commander in chief. “That is an extraordinary achievement.”
A total of 4,265 U.S. troops have lost their lives in Iraq since March 2003, and Obama said American forces had “performed brilliantly … under enormous strain.”
“It is time for us to transition to the Iraqis,” he said as an estimated 600 troops cheered. “They need to take responsibility for their country.”
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Obama in Baghdad, tells troops Iraq must take over
Now don’t go getting the wrong idea, I haven’t become an Obama supporter. Anyone that has read this blog for any length of times knows, I never thought we needed to be in Iraq to begin with. I left no doubt regarding my feelings concerning Iraqi Freedom, our part in it, and all the hows and whys of it coming to be.
I blasted President Bush for this on a nearly daily basis. I have always felt that Iraq was his little fit of anger, his personal vendetta against Saddam Hussein. I felt that our venture into Iraq was going to take away from our efforts in Afghanistan, the place where I felt the battle truly was, and exactly where we needed to be. The right place, the right time and the right people. I felt that our Global War on Terror was best focused there, against the people that had attacked us, NOT against a tyrant that had simply pissed off our President.
I may be wrong but I honestly believe that this little foray into Iraq by Obama was a politically motivated trip, one designed to focus on the CiC and his love of the troops. Sorry, I almost choked just typing that. This trip was made in an attempt to take the focus off of other pressing issues in the USA, the budget, the bailouts, the obvious desecration of the constitution by the Obama administration, things like that.
Make no mistake about it, I would be thrilled to see each and every one of our troops OUT of Iraq, the sooner the better. I also feel that once our troops are out of Iraq, we will see the nation of Iraq fall into the most deadly and destructive civil war imaginable. I believe we will see Iraq fall into a condition of decay, corruption, violence and totalitarianism that would shock even Saddam himself. I believe we will see Iraq fall into a condition similar to that of Somalia.
This may surprise some of you, but I honestly don’t care what happens to Iraq after we are gone. Iraq is NOT an ally, they have no real value other than as a supply of oil, and I don’t believe that the Iraqis can be trusted any more than any other group of Muslims.
George Bush led us down a road we didn’t need to travel, a case that has been proven several times over. We have lost 4,265 U.S. troops dead to date, and I have no idea regarding the numbers maimed. We have spent untold BILLIONS of U.S. tax dollars to get to this point in time where President Obama says, “You have given Iraq the opportunity to stand on its own as a democratic country.”
I agree with Obama on this, it IS time, and this IS their opportunity. I only hope that our efforts, the loss of life, limb and fortune, were not in vain.
Was he reading all of this off his TelePrompter? If he loses that thing he’s lost what little mind he has.
No doubt in my mind it was all a stunt. That man hasn’t quit campaigning, and odds are, while the world spirals out of control, he’ll still be campaigning, reading his TP, and spouting “Yes, We Can!” Blugh!
I’ve been in Iraq … 5 times … and we do need to be there. We never should have left in ’91 and we should never have went along with libtards or the UN. The UN and libtards is why we had to go back, period.
As for the Iraqis to step up to the plate, just once, I would like for our own politicians to step up to the plate. The Iraqi government complied with ALL 18 Iraqi Benchmarks that were written and designed to fail. Obama is a liar and a “victory thief” and that is what the moron was doing in Iraq after spending a week bashing Bush and the Troops, of whom I served under and with. He apologized for Iraq, thus, once more, enabling and emboldening the enemy, just like a good libtard cretin.
Obama is a fraud.
Check out the 18 Iraqi Benchmarks and let me know if our own CONgress Critters would have gone to work every day under those circumstances. Hell they oly work 3 days a week as it is.
Yes. We needed to be in Iraq and we will be needed there for the foreseeable future. That is why we are still in the Balkans.
The Iraqi’s do need to take control of their nation but unfortunately it won’t be done by US standards. Our PC way of dealing with criminals and insurgents won’t cut it over there. The only way to rule those people is by being ruthless. That’s how Saddam did it and as much as we hate it, it worked. I can’t think of any Arab nation that isn’t ruled that way. And, why do those people accept it? Because, that’s how their religion is, ruthless.
Snooper and I have actually met, face to face, and discussed this very thing.
We disagree on our being there, no doubt, but his reference to ’91 is quite correct, THAT is exactly when we needed to be there, and would have been totally justified in making Iraq a U.S. territory or protectorate. The Bush reasoning, in MY opinion, was wrong, Bush 43 that is, and Bush 41 was a gutless fuck that didn’t have what it took to let the Army and Marines do what needed to be done, at a time when we had ALL the power and backing to make it happen!!
I also believe that Iraq would fall into war, upon the US exit. I’m torn here. On the one hand, it would make Obama look like a moron. But on the other, it would cheapen the lives that have been lost, by making it look as though they gave their lives for nothing. I do believe good was done in Iraq, no matter the reason for entering the conflict. A sense of democracy was established, and a brutal dictator was overthrown. Mistakes made? Sure. Was it necessary? Perhaps not. But I would still like to look back on it, and know that these men accomplished something, not look back and see a shambles of a country despite their best efforts.
Whether we should have gone or not…..we did. Can’t turn the clock back. I will never think of those lives as wasted. They gave the Iraqis the chance. If they blow it, that’s their problem.