Now I already know the argument against giving Obama credit for this accomplishment is that the plan to withdraw was agreed upon by the Bush administration (Which is true but does not mean it would have been honored by a Republican President), and that the only reason the troops are being withdrawn is because Iraq refused to provide them immunity from prosecution, which is also not exactly accurate as it was the Iraqi's themselves who were requesting that American troops stay to further train their military.
However there is little doubt that bringing all of the troops home will clearly be seen as a victory for Obama and one that seriously pisses the Republicans off, like that cranky old man who keeps telling everybody to stay off his lawn, and of course Fox News which claims it literally gives the country to Iran, which of course MUST mean it is the right thing to do and that the Republicans in fact had no real intention of doing it themselves.
Health care bill passed, Bin Laden dead, troops brought home for Christmas, not too damn shabby.
Obama's change is here:
ReplyDeleteNDAAA
SOPA
and rachel Maddow has a few choice words about Obama's change!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jQLwGSq0FqQ#
A good president indeed.
ReplyDeleteIts gotten so that if I have doubts about whether something can be believed or not, all I have to do is tune in the Fox channel, and if they are FOR it, I KNOW FOR CERTAIN it is either total bullshit, or downright evil...and is being pushed on the easily fooled, by the interests of the ruling class.
ReplyDeleteWhy doesn't the corporate media mention the thousands of mercenaries that will remain? (Do the name "Blackwater" strike a familiar note?)
ReplyDeleteNot only are they paid many times more than the troops, we're still footing the bill.
LONG LIVE THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX!
LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!
President Obama is a man of his words.
ReplyDeleteIs Sarah Palin a man of her words?
Is Kristen Cole a man of her words?
Sarah Palin and her high school best friend who was in charge of the Alaska Fund Trust promised on their website that they will give out a quarterly report.
WHERE ARE THE ALASKA FUND TRUST QUARTERLY REPORTS?
Meg Stapleton you played a part in this too, where's our report?
3:33PM
ReplyDeleteYou might want to read this article:
http://www.politicususa.com/en/ndaa-breitbarted
@3:33pm
ReplyDeleteMother Jones has an article on this, here's the link.
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/12/defense-bill-passed-so-what-does-it-do-ndaa
President Obama doesn't get much credit here. He did NOTHING to accelerate the end of the war. He merely followed W's direction. The actual date for the pull out was made certain by the Iraqi government's refusal to allow immunity from prosecution for U.S. troops in Iraqi courts. It was THAT decision that got us out quickly.
ReplyDeleteThe president didn't do a damn thing to end this war. In fact, he ESCALATED it. Another instance of a lack of leadership on the president's part.
He campaigned on ending the war - which is why I was an early supporter of his - but failed to deliver on that promise. I regard this as one of his greatest failures.
No dice.
our ninja president, so classy, so smart...
ReplyDeleteDid you know Obama's health care bill contained a $20 billion a year tax on the richest Americans?
http://www.truth-out.org/burying-your-victories-what-if-obama-taxed-rich-never-told-anyone/1323786787
IMPORTANT! Will make you jump for joy or something.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nationofchange.org/palin-guilty-major-ethics-act-violation-must-return-386000-contributions-1324227646
NOTE: I posted the link above about SP....and ethics complaint where she has to return $386,000.
ReplyDeleteThe article link has today's date, but it looks like a re-posted article??? I better read it again.
Oops, Gasman's sounding like a firebagger again...
ReplyDeleteWhoa, sour grapes, Gasman? The war is over, the troops will be home, why would you not think that is a good thing? just because he didn't do it the way YOU think it should have been done, doesn't make it not a promise fulfilled. It was and it is. He said he'd end the war. He did. Period. Now you can move on to your next whine about something that Obama didn't do to make you happy. Geesh.
ReplyDeleteToday is a great day! Our President came through for us. Again.
ReplyDeleteI moved to America from England at age 5, and never cared to become a U.S. citizen because it felt like 'cheating' on my beloved home. That all changed in 2008 when I wasn't able to vote for the Best. President. Ever. I was gutted by this and began the long process -- which included reams of paperwork, records of all my out-of-country flights since age 5, then finally, two flights to Honolulu (and I abhor flying)-- to become a "rill" American. I LOVE this President. I love his levelheadedness, his compassion, his intelligence, and I'm constantly awed by the immense Light he wields. Especially while suffering the slings and arrows of the Tea Party and their ilk. I believe he will emerge as a great world leader, the likes of Gandhi, MLK, Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama. Sometimes I think we don't deserve him. I KNOW Donald Trump and Sarah Palin don't.
So this is a great day for the world! And, NO, things aren't perfect, but we're moving in that direction. Just look at the impact of the OCCUPY movement. I'm going to do everything I can to help President Obama win a second term. And I hope we give him the "political capital" that the unlettered man/boy George Bush crowed about.
Peace on Earth! Goodwill to All. OBAMA landslide in 2012!!
The really scary thing is that the cranky old, "get off my lawn" guy is clearly showing signs of encroaching dementia. He's about done, and and if they had prevailed in the last election, we'd be looking at the worst nightmare you could imagine.
ReplyDeleteOf course, there is some discussion as to whether he would have made it this long with someone so eager, so entitled to take over, at his back.
McCain and Palin last time gave way to this current collection of clowns.
Damn them all. They are scary.
4:57 P.M. - Woo Hoo! 'bout time!
ReplyDeleteBring out the bubbly and popcorn- just in time for winter solstice!
What cracked me up was Van Flea aready foresaw this and they set up a new site with a donate button for the proud, the few, the feebleminded sheeple.
____________
Yes, it happened under Obama's watch, so Our President gets credit for it. What? No "mission Accomplihed" banner? No photo op with a plastic turkey and the troops?
And I agree about the old man Mc Cain, someone should take his drivers license away, he needs a check up from the neck up. Whining on the Senate floor how awful this decision is.. blah blah blah. Whining about not having enough time to read the thousand page bill, and having to return to Arizona with so many houses underwater and high unemloyment.
Screw You, John Mc Cain - you're not the 99 percent, never were, and never will be.
if you mean by coming home we spend 6 billion a year manning and defending our embassies which are like little military bases.....ok the war is over and the troops are coming home. but for the republicans to spin this as giving iraq over to terrorists or iran is crazy. dont they see what obama does to terrorists and rogue dictators? he swats them like leetle flies if they dont do exactly what we want. just like he will swat the leetle republican nominee when the clowns finally pick one. i'm still wishin it would be palin. purely for the entertainment factor.
ReplyDeleteSorry but I have to back Gasman on this in that the President didn't have much to do with this outcome. If this upsets the two anonymous posters then so be it. I especially like the dismissive Firebagger moniker, how mature and something that truly adds to the debate.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I can applaud the President for is he didn't somehow force the Iraq government to countermand the will of the Iraq people. Had Bush been in office or some other Republican corporate stooge money would have changed hands and all of sudden we'd be welcomed to stay with flowers, chocolates, and a parade.
I understand that the Presidents supporters are upset of the barrage of complaints from the Left and you want to support your man. But the last thing this country needs is a populace of cheerleaders like we had when Bush was in office. People who wouldn't say anything regardless of how horrid the decision was or how bad the outcome would become.
Obama can do better and we as Americans deserve to be able to speak our minds and let him know of our disappointment. It doesn't mean we don't support him, just that we feel he needs to hear other views so he can do better in the future.
Anon@5:06:
ReplyDeleteIf I'm not mistaken, the original date of this post was Jun 10, 2010. Maybe not exact, but it's what I remember.
I think this news is about 18mos old, was on the HP.
Gasman @ 4:22
ReplyDeleteActually it was candidate Obama who influenced the closed timeline that the Bush admin reluctantly agreed to - clenched jaw and all. al-Maliki took advantage of Obama's position and pushed Bush to agree to the same closed timeline Obama had very publicly proposed rather than the open timeline Bush wanted. It was obvious that Bush went into Iraq with no plans to ever leave. Remember McCain's logic - We can't leave while they're still shooting at us, and once they quit shooting at us, there's no reason to leave.
Pres. Obama did what he said he would. End of discussion for me.
ReplyDeleteSour grapes? Firebagger? Hardly. Show me the demonstrable evidence of President Obama's leadership in ending the war in Iraq. It doesn't exist.
ReplyDeleteHis early and forceful opposition to the war was why I was among the earliest supporters of candidate Obama - I dare say probably earlier than many on this site - so I am VERY aware of what the president said as a candidate and then did NOT do as a president.
Please, feel free to prove me wrong by citing the president's bold forceful advocacy for getting us out of Iraq.
President Obama not only did NOT do anything to get us out, he ESCALATED the war. He also advocated keeping us there longer. In fact, if Nouri al-Maliki and the Iraqi government had not rebuffed Obama's request to keep us there longer, we would STILL be there - indefinitely. To me, that sounds more like president Bush than candidate Obama.
There is really no debate on this point. The president did nothing to get us out, but quite to the contrary did much to keep us there for years to come.
Fuck you if you think I am whining. I, for one, happen to think that the president SHOULD be held accountable to the promises he made as a candidate. This war was immoral from the start, and it was immoral for him to perpetuate it. As far as Iraq was concerned, he basically did nothing other than extend the policies of George W. Bush - albeit more thoughtfully.
Again, feel free to prove me wrong by citing verifiable, demonstrable instances of his bold courageous leadership in advocating our exit from Iraq as fast as possible.
Why are some people so threatened by the mere mention of what should be painfully obvious? On this point, Obama did not fulfill his promises to the nation and he did not lead. Acknowledging that makes me a firebagger in some peoples' opinion? Ask me if I care.
I don't understand why blind sycophantic support of this president is somehow more patriotic than the same exact behavior when it was exhibited in defense of W. I am also not sure why some are so threatened at the merest mention of perceived weaknesses or broken/unfulfilled promises of President Obama. Why is this position to be accorded a priori validity, without any debate or question?