Who has done this? Is he actually expecting President Obama to flick on the microphone and claim victory in Iraq as a result of his own deft leadership?
And so what if he did think that and was wrong?
I find it telling that Mr. Boehner preemptively accuses President Obama of politicizing the withdrawal of combat troops, as in keeping one of his campaign promises, in a highly publicized, extraordinarily partisan speech. Who is politicizing what here?
I don’t have access to the text of President Obama’s announcement yet. But I will be quite surprised if any political party is mentioned, or if he even stoops to reminding us all who got us into the ill-conceived war in the first place. I’d be surprised also if he even mentions the financial cost of this conflict (in answer to “Stimulus spending sprees, permanent bailouts, federal mandates and government takeovers”).
I’m troubled. Not because there are people so desperate to get their way that they would waste no opportunity to undermine their own legitemately appointed leader–hell, that’s just business–but because there are so many people willing to listen to this rhetoric and think of the US as two nations occupying one chunk of land. Boehner’s cynicism in preying on the doubts of his consituents pales in comparison to the real damage he and his ilk do by further dividing this nation. And to think that he undermined the commander in chief in front of our own troops and didn’t at least garner a “Boo!” is beyond disgusting.
I know it’s more “Us v. Them” and there’s really nothing new or fresh to be found here. But beyond the party division I’m irked that rather than admit defeat and go away quietly there are elements that will knowingly draw others to what they know to be a lost cause. Fukkin quit already and leave people to unite under a decent leader.
If you set fire to my house and kill my kids you don’t get credit for calling the fire department and saving my cat. It’s the least you could fucking do.
The decrease in violence in Iraq has less to do with the surge, and more with the Sunni Awakening, which was nothing short of buying off the insurgents will billions of US dollars. What we could not accomplish with guns was finally achieved the old fashioned way; we opened our wallets.
At least there’s no dissembling any longer; they don’t mind acknowledging in advance that there is nothing Obama can ever say or do that’s the right choice.
Did Mr. Boehner mention when we Americans will be seeing our ‘victory dividends’?
For an adventure that cost most of a trillion dollars, and killed more Americans than Osama bin Laden ever did, I’d like to see some sort of monetary or economic gain come out of Iraq for us ordinary Americans. It’s a lie to call it a win if it makes us all either dead, or poorer, no matter what Republicans say.
No, he’s going to say that military operations are finished. It’s not the same thing. However, Hussein’s troops were defeated and the control of the government has been turned over to the local provisional arrangement, so a victory of sorts has been achieved. We’re out, which is certainly a victory for the American people, since we shouldn’t have been there in the first place.
George W announced the end of combat operations in Iraq; Obama announced the end of combat operations in Iraq; God willing President Palin will announce the end of combat operations in Iraq.
If we play our cards right, we can ride the end of combat operations in Iraq train until the camels come home.
He has to credit the troops with a job well done. They are forced into an ugly kind of war, hand to hand ,neighborhood by neighborhood , look your opponent in the eye and shoot him type war. It is mentally excruciating and many will have long term mental problems. They pay a huge price for this adventure ,that did not need to be fought at all. I feel very sorry for them.
There is still no government in Iraq. The election was more than 6 months ago. I suppose just letting us do all the work while we pay off the leaders with American tax money ,works well for them. We had to walk away to light a fire under them. Perhaps now, they will act with a sense of urgency.
