Obama marks end to combat mission in Iraq

No airforce jump-suit, propaganda stunt or Mission Accomplished banner?

How the times and certainly the egos have changed.

Too many suffer from traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder—the signature injuries of today’s wars

aggression guilt?

I have several friends in the forces that returned home...to find they like it better in combat situations. They cannot adjust to civilian life. They need to have buddies around to watch their back while they are watching their buddy's back.

I have had several that have requested to be redeployed to Afghanistan.

How are conservatives and the GOP going to twist the achievement of this campaign promise?

I have several friends in the forces that returned home...to find they like it better in combat situations. They cannot adjust to civilian life

That is a form of mental illness.

"No airforce ( Air Force ) jumpsuit, propaganda stunt or Mission Accomplished banner?"

Nah, Obama's just taking credit for the surge which he was against.

"How are conservatives and the GOP going to twist the achievement of this campaign promise?"

Um, this is all in accordance with the agreement reached between the freely elected Iraqi government and the Bush administration which made it possible for the Iraqis to have a freely elected government.

@SushiSake3

How are conservatives and the GOP going to twist the achievement of this campaign promise?

Have a look at Sarge's comment, two down from yours.

At least George Bush's Mission was accomplished. To take out Saddam Hussein. Will Obama's mission be accomplished? We'll see.

At least George Bush's Mission was accomplished. To take out Saddam Hussein. Will Obama's mission be accomplished?

Yeah, Bush's mission: Push Humpty-Dumpty off of the wall. (Breaking things is something he excelled in!)

Obama's mission: Put the "thing" back together again. Leave it to a Republican to want someone in charge who only knows how to break things.

mikehuntez - was taking out Saddam Hussein bush's 4th or 5th stated reason for invading Iraq? Sorry, I forget - there's been too many people trying to rewrite history.

I am not a Republican. Thanks for stereotyping me though. I hope Obama's mission gets accomplished is all I'm saying. And agreed. George Bush accomplished his mission but left things in a rather broken state. Good luck to Obama. I hope he does well but I think he's been overrated in this area.

Sarge, if bush's mission has been accomplished, let's hope he continues to stay snuggled safely within America's borders and doesn't get any dumb ideas to go on some kind of victory tour. Too many governments want to put him away for war crimes. That's what you get when you cook up 8 or so different reasons for invading a country because you knew that not even 1 of them would actually fly. But good on Obama for crossing off yet another campaign promise.

"Too many governments want to put him ( Bush ) away for war crimes"

Could you give us a list, and some proof of this ridiculous assertion? Of course we all know the Taliban and al-Qaida want Bush dead...

"good on Obama for crossing off yet another campaign promise"

When is he going to make good on his promise to close Gitmo?

George Bush accomplished his mission but left things in a rather broken state.

Yes and no to that, if bush would have withdrew from Iraq in 2006/2007 like the world wanted him to instead of doing the surge and a different strategy along with it Iraq would most likely be in a much worse state then it is today, when Bush left office Iraq's violence and casualties all cross the board in terms of civilian and military(Iraq, and US) were down more than 70% and in some areas more than 90%. Also to top it off Bush help negotiate and sign the SOFA with Iraq which contains a withdrawal plan and it is that withdrawal plan that Obama has been following. Meaning is this, Obama has not had to really deal with Iraq since the very first day in office like bush had to, all Obama has had to really do is make sure that the SOFA or Bush's withdrawal plan goes on schedule.

Obama marks end to combat mission in Iraq?

Really?

When all personnel who are not combat trained are gone, then we can celebrate. Not until then.

george bush did exactly what I expected of him. Just like his incomplete military service, he went into Iraq like and idiot with a mission and accomplished all he planned to do, except pay for the war with the oil he bragged about we'd get.

Obama promised one thing. "To get all combat troops out of Iraq" by a certain date. And he did that. He didn't make lavish promises like bush did, he just promised to get our troops out.

Spin that. < :-)

adaydream at 04:36 AM JST - 29th August george bush did exactly what I expected of him. Just like his incomplete >military service, he went into Iraq like and idiot with a mission and >accomplished all he planned to do, except pay for the war with the oil >he bragged about we'd get.

I don't recall the Bush administration ever stating or even implying that we were goig to "get" Iraqi oil. I only heard "no blood for oil" from the anti-war crowd. Can you substantiate your claim?

We should not be in Iraq, the USA should have just killed off Saddam Hussein in the first place, with out destroying the entire country. Oh,no! I guess if we would have done the logical thing, the the entire US military/industrial complex would not be making MONEY hand over fist right?

I don't recall the Bush administration ever stating or even implying that we were goig to "get" Iraqi oil.

Oh, come on now! Honestly, you never heard the Bush administration officials telling the American people that costs of the war would be minimal? That the war would practically pay for itself once Iraqi oil started flowing again?

"Iraq is a very wealthy country. Enormous oil reserves. They can finance, largely finance the reconstruction of their own country. And I have no doubt that they will." Richard Perle, chair The Pentagon's Defense Policy Board July 11, 2002

"Iraq has tremendous resources that belong to the Iraqi people. [Read: OIL] And so there are a variety of means that Iraq has to be able to shoulder much of the burden for their own reconstruction." Ari Fleischer White House press secretary February 18, 2003

"When it comes to reconstruction, before we turn to the American taxpayer, we will turn first to the resources of the Iraqi government -- [He ain't talking about dates and rugs.] -- and the international community." Donald Rumsfeld Secretary of Defense March 27, 2003

"There is a lot of money to pay for this that doesn't have to be US taxpayer money, and it starts with the assets of the Iraqi people. [Read: OIL] We are talking about a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon." Paul Wolfowitz Deputy Secretary of Defense testifying before the defense subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee March 27, 2003

Such ignorance should be put on display in the hall of fame of dupedom.

I have to wonder what the situation would be like today if, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, Bush Sr had decided it was Kuwait's ( and Saudi Arabia's ) problem.

OssanAmerica,

Then you'll have to look it up. The war wasn't going to cost us because it would be paid for by the Iraqi oil reserves. Then bush's administration let the big 5 have oil reserve contracts right after the country went down. Then when the Iraqi government took their country back they took them all back. These facts have been stated many many times and proven by links. Google away. < :-)

I have to wonder how much more money the U.S. government would have today if people like Sarge hadn't supported the idiotic invasion of Iraq.

I'd say an extra trillion at least, considering all long-term costs that haven't yet been paid.

And with all that extra money, I wonder whether we'd have as many Americans as there are today decrying the ever-growing U.S. deficit?

Probably not.

And with all that extra money, I wonder whether we'd have as many Americans as there are today decrying the ever-growing U.S. deficit?

We'd have no deficit. < :-)

Oh, we'd still have a deficit, and a big one. The wars are nothing compared to everything else the government wastes money on. Check it out.

Sarge, I checked it out and - yet again - you're flat wrong. Health reform comes in at only $200 billion a year spent on Americans. Meanwhile, the idiot wars you support will easily come to $2 trillion plus, most of it spent outside America.

Sushi, if you'd checked it properly you'd have found out that defense ( that includes wars ) comes to around 23% of the total federal budget. So around 77% is spent on other stuff, and A LOT of that is wasted.

He who ordered the surge caused the need for it. You would have to be a simpleton to think anyone would attempt to steal any sort of credit. Then again, the accuser believes that the US hasn't imposed its' will on Iraq so I guess it really is a mental health issue.