It was more important for Obama to keep a pledge to his leftist donors, than to secure the nation of Iraq before pulling out our troops. And then there’s that one little detail rarely discussed in liberal circles, Obama wanted to leave troops behind but the Iraqi government threatened Our Pansy In Chief that they would not give our US troops immunity in their courts. Thus, the master negotiator put his tail between their legs and scooted out of Iraq, bringing our brave men and women in uniform with him…
Oct. 2011- The U.S. is leaving behind a “sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq, with a representative government.” -Barack Huessein Obama
Obama claimed it was a “moment of success.”
The U.S. military has around 5,000 service members in Iraq, officials said on Monday, far more than previously reported, as the Obama administration quietly expands ground operations against the Islamic State.
The number of American forces in Iraq has come under increased scrutiny following the death over the weekend of a Marine staff sergeant, the second combat casualty in renewed U.S. operations in Iraq. He was killed when militants launched rockets at a small U.S. base around the city of Makhmour. The existence of the Marine detachment had not been known prior to Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin’s death.
Officials at the Pentagon have declined to specify how Marines are serving at the outpost in northern Iraq, which they described as a satellite base positioned to protect American trainers at a nearby, larger base. Their presence in Iraq highlights the use of forces from Navy ships already in the Middle East. Via: Washington Post
Obama, Oct. 21, 2011:
In a brief appearance at the White House, Mr Obama said: “Today I can report that, as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year. After nearly nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over.”
The remaining 40,000 US troops in Iraq, would, he said, “definitely be home for the holidays”.
He conspicuously declined to repeat the mistake of his predecessor George W Bush, who started the war in March 2003 and displayed a “Mission Accomplished” banner six weeks later, only for Iraq to descend into years of insurgency and sectarian violence that has claimed at least 100,000 civilian lives.
Mr Obama however asserted that the “United States is moving forward from a position of strength”.
“The last American soldier will cross the border out of Iraq with their head held high, proud of their service,” he said.
The president stressed that he was meeting a withdrawal deadline reached earlier with the Iraqis, as well as keeping a pledge made as a candidate in 2008 to wind down the controversial war as fast as possible.
But his statement masked the fact that his administration had wanted to keep a residual force of 4-5,000 beyond the end of the year in a training capacity that would also have acted as a prohibitive presence to neighboring Iran.
Despite months of discussions however, it failed to win a continued guarantee of immunity for US troops from prosecution from the Iraqi government. Via: Telegraph
