“Let me say this as plainly as I can: By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end,” he said. “I intend to remove all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011.”
Keeping U.S. troops in Iraq after the departure deadline would require accord of Iraq’s deeply divided government. The Iraqis have not made a formal request for U.S. troops to stay. The White House is prepared to keep as many as 10,000 U.S. troops in Iraq after the end of the year, amid growing concern that the planned pullout of virtually all remaining American forces would lead to intensified militant attacks, according to U.S. officials.
Keeping troops in Iraq after the deadline for their departure at the end of December would require agreement of Iraq’s deeply divided government, which is far from certain. The Iraqis so far have not made a formal request for U.S. troops to remain, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Some powerful Iraqi political forces are staunchly opposed to a continued U.S. presence.
The Obama administration has been debating how large a force to propose leaving in Iraq. It made its proposal now in hopes of spurring a request from Prime Minister Nouri Maliki’s government, and to give the Pentagon time to plan, the officials said.
The troops would be based around Baghdad and in a small number of other strategic locations around the country, the officials said.
Noting that Iraq had not asked yet for troops to stay, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said: “There’s only so much time here available for the Iraqi government to make such a request. If they do, we will consider it. Otherwise, we are keeping on schedule.”
Of course we all knew this would happen, it would be silly to think otherwise.
The bullshit reading is high enough that no amplification is needed to peg the needle.
Now for some sanctimonious BS from the respondents.
I didn’t vote for eternal war and I will never vote for the lying butcher Obama again. Obama is the War President like no other. Why does he like to kill people and blow up their towns and cities when they have done nothing to us.
Terror begins at home, in our congress, and thrives in the White House. Obama makes sure the war machine gets all the money he can print.
Stop the insanity! End the needless wars and look for a peace loving president.
Woohoo! Change we can believe in!
yea so its been 3 yrs…wheres the change?? hmm guess he’ll take care of it in his second term in office. he has too much on his hand now i guess with the economy crisis
Yeah, mike, don’t give any credit/blame to the guy who needlessly created this goddamned mess in Iraq, ok?
We like to assume Iraq can govern itself, wish they could, and hope they will. My immediate reaction is that 10k is a helluva lot less than the 150k that were there at one time. If they make us leave completely, good.
So what’s the problem here?
#5 – I think that we can stop blaming Bush for things now that we’re three quarters of the way through Obama’s term. Or maybe you want to wait until three quarters of the way through his second term?
They can split words all they want. Most people who voted for Obama expected that he would get the US out of Iraq.
No sleep overs. No pinky swears.
“change” is nothing more than a marketing term for election campaigns
it is all in how you sell the candidate, not on what they have accomplished or can do.
ask not what your candidate can to when elected, ask what they have done and will do when in office, and hold them to that with a warranty..
There is no bullshit detected from my perspective and I see you needed an amplifier.
Proof:
1. Combat mission in Iraq has indeed ended
2. Obama did intend to withdraw all troops.
1. Combat mission in Iraq has indeed ended
Indeed. They ended before Obama took office.
2. Obama did intend to withdraw all troops.
As did Bush. He stated that he did not want our presence in Iraq to be permanent and in fact put in a plan at the end of his Presidency to withdraw from Iraq.
Dallas,
I guess you’re right that the war has ended for US military forces. But what does one call it when highly paid (ie, US tax money) mercs (think Blackwater), etc continue the fighting?
#11 I don’t think nor said the war has ended. I do see combat operations have ended.
However, I agree one can define ‘combat’ so broadly as to include existing covert and other ‘destructive intent’ engagements. By that definition, we’re at war with China!
Yes, we need the troops there, otherwise Islamic extremists will shoot at each other, instead… of… our troops?
Wait, what?
With the war now finally over troops will return to their bases in Germany
With the “war” finally over will troops return to their US bases FROM Germany? We’ve had troops there since WW2!
We have troops in – what? – 150 countries and counting? I voted once for Obama and never again. He’s just another lying piece of shit.
Where’s the cheap oil?
I voted for Obama. What a mistake. Sorry, everybody.
Hello everbody! I voted for myself. Big damn mistake. Won’t happen again. Job sucks anyway. Takes away too much time from the links…know what I mean?
I won’t run again. And you can take that to the bank! What’s that? Bank shut their doors?
Oh well everbody, you can blame the Pukes, not me.
How are you liking…
Bush’s 3rd term??
Isn’t is disgusting to see clowns like Baggins and Dallas trying to explain this away.
Leave Iraq by 2011? Nothing but a sick lie by a sick liar to get the vote.
(Or should I say, ONE OF THE sick lies by a sick liar to get the vote)
& you thought we were outta theres?
Our boots be deeper in the quagmires
now than they ever weres
To those who blame Bush. Yes he did a great many things wrong but now Obama has been elected President. A job Obama ran for and now we are seeing exactly how good he is at doing that job and at keeping his promises.
On the whole, and I never expected to say this, he’s doing much worse than Bush in just about every way you can name. Lier, Lier, lier, pants on fire doesn’t even begin to give credit for lies told to this President.
I want the President to get our people out of Iraq and Afghanistan and stop staring wars!I want him to at least make a half hearted effort to try and bring our run away spending under control.
Not send a budget to Congress so bad that even his own party won’t touch it with a stick then go play golf saying it is up to Congress to resolve! Bill Clinton was ten times the President this disaster is.
Yes I know I’m one of those conservative/libertarians that Dallas likes to blame wars on only his nut case President seems to be the crazy war monger!
He also doesn’t seem to get one the most basic rules relating to war. You don’t fight a war on two fronts if you can help it and if you start a third you are out of your freaking mind!
My data suggest John D. is right and this nut case is working on getting us involved in Syria without getting us out of anywhere else!
#20 I know it stings but I’m just stating the two simple facts. You get to draw your own conclusions (opinion) but you know what they say about opinions.
The facts associated with the two statements made are indisputable.
war is a racket
war attracts racketeers to our government offices
Hey, maybe Obama will get ANOTHER Nobel Peace Prize!!
O. B. A. M. A.
OH! What a –
Big
Ass
Mistake
America!!
Let’s face it. We have become that abusive relationship from which there is no escape.
And don’t think for a second that these politicians don’t know what effect bringing home the troops will have on unemployment. A fact that likely has a little something to do with all of this.
# 9 Dallas said, “Proof:
1. Combat mission in Iraq has indeed ended”
Hmmm. The mission is over but combat troops are still there and still dying.
Orwell’s Newspeak in action.
Personally, I do believe our Nobel prize winning peace prez will pull lots of troops out of Iraq.
He’ll need them for Libya and Iran and Sudan and … Mexico???
Speaking of Newspeak – has anyone else been laughing their head off at the scientists explaining the lack of actual global warming is due to (I kid thee not) anthropogenic global cooling!
Seems all those nasty Asians have been burning lots of coal and stuff but THEIR industrialization seems to produce sulphur instead of carbon dioxide! Sulphur, of course, cause cooling!
Excuse me. I laughed so hard I gotta go change my undies.
Editor: I would urge a post on this topic. Would be a lot of fun to see the pro-AGWers claw their way out
Animby–AGC huh? First I’ve heard of that. Got a link. Whether “true” or not (I doubt it) it wouldn’t be an example of Newspeak but rather a change in the variables all being fit into the models you don’t support to begin with.
What is THAT called? ((Read in the voice of the Church Lady: Isn’t that convenient?))
# 19 Ah_Yea said:
“How are you liking… Bush’s 3rd term??”
About as much as I’m going to like Bush’s 4th term.
Maybe we can be at war with Iran, Russia and China by the time this guy is done.