# President Obama quits war in Iraq **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 21, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380 "2011-10-21T18:47:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/1 "2011-10-21T18:47:01Z")
[Story](http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/21/world/meast/iraq-us-troops/index.html?hpt=hp_c1). Apparently he’s a quitter. But seriously (3rd time in a year for me!), great news no matter if you prefer elephants or asses. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/2 "2011-10-21T18:55:43Z")
Great news indeed. Now we just need to end the war in Afghanistan and we’ll be set. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/3 "2011-10-21T18:58:57Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Great news indeed. Now we just need to end the war in Afghanistan and we’ll be set. Yeah…for N.Korea and Venezuela. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/4 "2011-10-21T19:35:02Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > Yeah…for N.Korea and Venezuela. Venezuela maybe, but the only way we’re going into NK is as an ally of the PRC. It would be WWIII otherwise and our ties with Beijing are too close for anyone in power to want that. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/5 "2011-10-21T19:43:33Z")
I’m glad that practically all the soldiers are leaving, although some contractors and others will still be in Iraq for some time. And the U.S. isn’t going into Venezuela any more than it’s going into North Korea. Relations between the U.S. and Venezuela aren’t particularly bad compared to where they were under Bush, and Chavez may be dying of cancer anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/6 "2011-10-21T21:34:46Z")
As Colbert said the other night (in reference to Libya, but still): “I love it when a war ends. Because we get to pick the next one!” ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/7 "2011-10-23T00:28:38Z")
I was glad to hear that as well but when I told my parents about it, their response was “It’s only because he’s getting ready for re-election.” And it’s like really? Can he do nothing right? Give the guy some credit for doing the right thing. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/8 "2011-10-23T00:53:53Z")
It was a quick little war for Bush that lasted a fucking decade. Get the hell out. There is a lot of sorting out for them to do and the sooner they get started, the better off it will be. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/9 "2011-10-23T01:08:15Z")
About time. [$800 billion+](http://costofwar.com/en/) well spent! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/10 "2011-10-23T01:11:00Z")
> [@AngelSoft](#): > > I was glad to hear that as well but when I told my parents about it, their response was “It’s only because he’s getting ready for re-election.” And it’s like really? Can he do nothing right? Give the guy some credit for doing the right thing. Damn straight. If Obama turned water into wine, there’s people who would be yelling that we should re-instate Prohibition. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/11 "2011-10-23T01:17:22Z")
They don’t want us there. Time to leave. Chickenhawks demanding that we ignore their sovereignity and our past promises be damned. Yeah, we need out of Afghanistan if only so we don’t have to keep relying on Pakistan to allow our shit to transit while they otherwise stab us in the back. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/12 "2011-10-23T01:30:04Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Damn straight. If Obama turned water into wine, there’s people who would be yelling that we should re-instate Prohibition. If he walked across the Potomac, the headlines would read, “Obama can’t swim!” ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/13 "2011-10-23T01:35:31Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > If he walked across the Potomac, the headlines would read, “Obama can’t swim!” Yeeeah it’s to the point of ridiculous. My mother told me that she hadn’t voted in ten years but she was going to vote next year just to make sure ‘that man’ doesn’t get re-elected. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/14 "2011-10-23T01:39:02Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > About time. [$800 billion+](http://costofwar.com/en/) well spent! :smack: Oh well, it is only money. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/15 "2011-10-23T01:42:09Z")
> [@AngelSoft](#): > > I was glad to hear that as well but when I told my parents about it, their response was “It’s only because he’s getting ready for re-election.” It was agreed in 2008 that all U.S. soldiers would be out of the country by the end of 2011. It’s true that the withdrawal could have been changed, and that it might have been changed if the governments of the U.S. and Iraq hadn’t been in conflict over immunity for U.S. soldiers. It’s also probably true that extending things would have looked bad for him. But this isn’t something Obama just decided to do for the 2012 election, since you can see the withdrawal agreement dates to the Bush administration. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/16 "2011-10-23T02:58:57Z")
Darn, I was so hoping that speech would end with “_Now_, my fellow Americans, the mission is accomplished!” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/17 "2011-10-23T03:00:03Z")
> [@AngelSoft](#): > > Yeeeah it’s to the point of ridiculous. My mother told me that she hadn’t voted in ten years but she was going to vote next year just to make sure ‘that man’ doesn’t get re-elected. I hate it when they keep their promises. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/18 "2011-10-23T10:59:59Z")
Looks like Afghanistan and Pakistan are concerned about the USA: [http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/22/us-pakistan-afghanistan-usa-idUSTRE79L19Z20111022?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews](http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/22/us-pakistan-afghanistan-usa-idUSTRE79L19Z20111022?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews) ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/19 "2011-10-23T11:36:02Z")
I shudder for what’s going to happen to the Iraqis now. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380/20 "2011-10-23T12:18:07Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I shudder for what’s going to happen to the Iraqis now. I think they’ve had rather more “help” from us than they can stand. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-obama-quits-war-in-iraq/600380.md?page=2)