Iraq Throws Out U.s. Troops – Obama Declares Victory
by President Obama has said that the war in Iraq is over. He said that the troops will be gradually brought home over a two month period. The problem is that the choice was not his to make.
Obama has declared that the 40,000 remaining troops in Iraq will be brought home in stages over the next two months. All the troops will be out of Iraq by the end of the year with the exception of about 200 people that will be part of embassy security.
Congressional supporters of Obama have praised the President for putting an end to the war. Many members of the media have noted that this could help his improve his sagging approval ratings and bolster his chance for re-election. The problem is that this is all a smokescreen. Obama had no control over the withdrawal of the troops.
The actual truth is that the agreement to bring the troops home was signed before Obama was ever elected President. George W. Bush made a deal in 2008 that the troops would be brought home by December 31, 2011. Obama actually wanted to keep troops in Iraq past 2011. The White House and the Iraqi government were secretly trying to come up with a plan that would keep the troops there past the original cut-off date. Iraq said that their forces were ready to take over complete control and that the United States forces were no longer necessary. After several months of trying to get Iraq to change its mind, the White House finally gave up on negotiations and agreed to comply with the original agreement that the U.S. forces would be out by the end of 2011.
Inside sources say that the White House saw this as an opportunity to put Obama in a good light with the public. Just two days after the President took credit for helping to end Gaddafi’s reign in Libya, Obama held a press conference declaring that the war in Iraq is over. Although the President stooped short of declaring victory, he announced that the troops would be home for the holidays and praised them for their success.
This was an ingenious, though sneaky, way for the President to take credit for something he had no control over. For the second time in less than a week, Obama has held a press conference to take credit for a victory in foreign matters that he had no part of. The White House is desperately trying to divert attention from the woes of the economy and the growing problems that it is causing his re-election campaign. Trumpeting policy victories is always a good strategy to help strengthen public support – even if those victories weren’t yours.
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