August 31st, 2010

Obama's Address To Nation: Did Not Admit His Heavy Criticism Of Iraq Before He Was For It

Posted by: Barry Secrest
Published on August 31st, 2010 @ 10:20:26 pm , using 858 words

Posted in Events and Issues: Credible Resources

Foxnews.com

President Obama praised President Bush's commitment to U.S. troops Tuesday as he announced a close to combat operations in Iraq that Obama said cost America a "huge price."

In only his second Oval Office speech, Obama cast the end of combat operations as an opportunity for America to "turn the page," both on American involvement in Iraq and American priorities at home, where the economy is still struggling to regain its footing.

Obama didn't explicitly credit Bush for initiating the troop surge that saved a flagging war effort in Iraq, but he compared his troop buildup in Afghanistan to the Iraq surge and highlighted Bush's commitment to U.S. security.

"It's well known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset," he said. "Yet no one could doubt President Bush's support for our troops, or his love of country and commitment to our security. As I have said, there were patriots who supported this war, and patriots who opposed it. And all of us are united in appreciation for our servicemen and women, and our hope for Iraq's future."

Obama who swept into office partly on his pledge to end the war in Iraq, said that after seven years of huge sacrifices, it is time for the U.S. to move on.

"Through this remarkable chapter in the history of the United States and Iraq, we have met our responsibility," he said. "Now, it is time to turn the page."

Obama said now the "most urgent task is to restore our economy, and put the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs back to work."

"We must jumpstart industries that create jobs, and end our dependence on foreign oil," he said. "This will be difficult. But in the days to come, it must be our central mission as a people, and my central responsibility as president."

Obama said spending on the war short-changed investment in the U.S.

"We have spent over a trillion dollars at war, often financed by borrowing from overseas," he said. "This, in turn, has short-changed investments in our own people, and contributed to record deficits. For too long, we have put off tough decisions on everything from our manufacturing base to our energy policy to education reform. As a result, too many middle class families find themselves working harder for less, while our nation's long-term competitiveness is put at risk."

Up to 50,000 U.S. troops will remain in Iraq for support and counterterrorism training, and the final forces will not be out until late next year. But Obama sought to mark Aug. 31, 2010, as a milestone in one of the defining chapters in recent American history.

"Ending this war is not only in Iraq's interest, it is in our own," Obama said. "The United States has paid a huge price to put the future of Iraq in the hands of its people."

In fact, Iraq is in political turmoil, its leaders unable to form a new government long after March elections that left no clear winner. In Baghdad on Tuesday, Vice President Biden pressed Iraqi leaders anew to break the impasse. The uncertainty has left an opening for insurgents to pound Iraqi security forces, hardly the conditions the United States envisioned for this transition deadline, which Obama announced 18 months ago.

Since the war began, more than 4,400 U.S. troops have been killed and almost 32,000 have been wounded. Many more Iraqis have been killed. The war is one of the longest in U.S. history, even as the one in Afghanistan continues.

It is not the end of the war for the United States. More U.S. troops are likely to die.

Not all U.S. troops are expected to leave Iraq until the end of 2011, a final agreement that was secured before Obama took office.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised Obama for "keeping his promise to responsibly end this war."

"In doing so, we are moving closer to the day when Iraq's future rests solely in the hands of the Iraqi people," she said in a written statement.

But Republicans refused to let Obama and his Democratic allies get away with taking credit for ending the combat mission in Iraq.

"President Obama is right to honor our troops who helped turn the tide of violence in Iraq during its darkest days," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said in a written statement. "But it's puzzling to listen to this White House try to take credit for the results of the strategy he and Vice President Biden adamantly opposed from the start."

"Our success in Iraq has everything to do with the hard work of our men and women in uniform, the Iraqi people, and President Bush's resolve," he aid. "It has nothing to do with President Obama's campaign promise to carry out the previous administration's plan for returning U.S. troops from Iraq."