Obama in Iraq: A careful withdrawal

BObama - the slick Chicago politician/puppet changing his tune yet again. Hmmmm..... pre-elections pulpit speeches "I'll bring the troops home immediately". Post election - glad-handing secret meeting puppet Obama.......not so much.

Oh well, change we can market and sell, but not really believe in

Did Barry exit the plane waving the white flag. I understand that he apologized to a group of muslim students in Turkey because the USSA "frustrated" them.

THIS GUY IS VERY DAMGEROUS!!!

For someone who wanted to be in the White House so badly isn't it strange he's never there?

I love reading the comments on here. The Obama bashers always say the same things over and over. Its really quite pathetic and amusing.

To Karl and BDD:

Karl, he NEVER said he'd bring home the troops IMMEDIATELY!

BDD, yep, trying to get along with other people's of the world, respecting them as we would have them respect us - dangerous, I think not! What's dangerous is ignoring our own Constitution and trampling on the rights of all!

Didn't Bush used to make "stealth vists" to Iraq? Why does he have to sneal in?

Well put, President Obama !! Just because ex-President Bush/Cheney acted in a most unAmerican way, doesn't mean that you have to, as well !! A responsible withdrawal is the order of the day. Nobody, in their right mind, would think otherwise ! The United Nations should be brought into the occupation and assist us, in extricating ourselves from this mindless blunder !! That is the course of action the previous tag-team, the Draft-Dodger Boys, Bush/Cheney, should have taken, to begin with, but, obviously, they didn't !! The Devil only knows, why not !!?
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.

"I'll bring the troops home immediately". Oh well, change we can market and sell, but not really believe in

Posted by: karl | April 7, 2009 10:15 AM

Once again half truths find their way to the pages. How conveniently they forget "He promised to get out of Iraq as carefully as Bush recklessly got us into it".

That's change we can spin and ridicule.

Back to banjos and Sourmash BDD and Karl! C'mon, get!

You neo-cons are all alike, you only here what the repug propaganda machine tells you. What Pres. Obama said was that he would be as careful pulling out of Iraq, as the previous administration was reckless going in. He did not say that he would pull out immediately, as that may put our troops and the region at greater risk.

BDD and karl, why do you support terrorism and hate America?

Hey Via,

do you really expect the President to never leave the White House? Grow a brain please...

For someone who wanted to be in the White House so badly isn't it strange he's never there?

Posted by: vla | April 7, 2009 10:27 AM

And if he didn't stop in Iraq, you'd be proclaiming that he doesn't care about the troops.

I have nothing to spread except hatred and ignorance...I love guns.

The Republicans LOST. Do what the rest of the WORLD was forced to do the past 8 years , "Deal with it," ya freaking crybabies.
It is nice to know we NOW have a president with an IQ above Special Ed. levels. Great that Bush's evil uncle has let him down off his lap and stopped whispering instructions in Bush's ear.
Hey IKE, get a clue, you have 7 years 8 months to go. With sure shot Sarah in the wings maybe 12 years. I love that dinosaur disbeliving air head. Also gratifying that, "take another pill", Rush is your partys' moral compass. Remember your old standard response to presidential criticism; Love it or leave it. ....Canada is a nice place to live if ya don't like it here. Note to self: Mail $200 to Palin for President.

Don't you just love people who can't support the president and want to see him fail  — and in essence the country, too?

Jim, I was being sarcastic - use your brain!

sleep Bill r. and Amurican - sleep, go to that very deep sleep -all is well. It's just the 'crazies' out there. Big Bro will take care of you - just go to sleep.

Hey - if you remember, I was one of Obama's supporters. I thought there was a chance that he was actually truthful and wanted change. It's taken me all of 3 months to realize that Obama isn't anything but a the greatest 2nd or 3rd act provided by the deep pockets that are in fact our government.

No more lobbyists and fresh faces and transparency?

Mostly Clinton era insiders and Bush's Defense Secretary.

Where's the bailout money? Where's the transparency? Why are the "banks" too-big to fail?

These are conspiracies - they are legitimate questions, and ones that deserve an answer. I propose no 'kool-aid', I just ask for responses to these simple and vital ($700 billion) questions.

I have nothing to spread except hatred and ignorance...I love guns.

Posted by: Typical Republican | April 7, 2009 12:04 PM "

I love the way libs need to stereotype thier adversaries in order to make themselves feel better and to justify their silly thought process.

Besides meaningless rhetoric is there any substantive difference between the Bush/Gates draw down plan reflected in the SOF agreement and the Obama/Gates plan? I mean other than Obama's plan to leave 50k troops there indefinitely?

Don Fitz if you are in agreement with the gradual draw down and plan to leave 50k troops there indefinitely (isn't that around the number we have in Afghan?) don't you think you should change your signature line?

John - that's a dumb argument over simple semantics and you know it. It's not about seeing the president fail merely because we don't like him, it's that some people believe his policies, if successful, will make the country fail, and that the country can only succeed if the president fails in his policies. Unfortunately so far he seems to be succeeding in getting his policies enacted. We'll see what that does to the country. He's a wussbag and the US will no longer be the leader of the free world.

Actually Obamabots, Obama did campaign saying he would remove the troops immediately. The funny thing here is that NOW Obama basically is following the timeline set up by the Bush administration. Also, there is no doubt that it's the Left that supports terrorism and hates America. Gee, the War on Terror is now given some sugar-coated name and acts of terrorism are now called "man-made disasters." Without a doubt this is THE MOST dangerous and inept administration in this country's history. BY FAR!

Actually Obamabots, Obama did campaign saying he would remove the troops immediately.
Posted by: John D | April 7, 2009 12:53 PM

Hey John D, did you get that from the same source that informed you that Bush was pushing for Turkey's entry into NATO 50 years after they had already been made a member state?

Obama has called for a phased withdrawal, over a timeline of roughly 16-18 months since at least 2007. He's never promised to "remove the troops immediately"

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/obamas-iraq-plans-vindicated-as-us-agrees-to-pull-out-by-2011-962874.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/30/AR2007013001586.html

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jul/20/nation/na-obamatrip20

John D, are you a liar or an idiot?

Wow, people think that they are so much smarter than the president. If you think he's doing such a crappy job, maybe you should try his job and see if you do any better. I highly doubt it.

I really, really love Obama.

Spreading the wealth is good.

Americans have been pretty bad, we have destroyed the world and it's time for us to fade and let the Muslims rule us. At least THEY can be trusted

JIm,

Thanks for setting me straight with your intuitive counter-argument. Brilliant politics!

let's just get THEM HOME.

Amazing, Bush spent 8 years in office and couldn't get this done. Yet Obama was in office 3 months and has succeeded in completing the mission and begun getting the boys home. God Bless President Obama.

Amazing, Bush spent 8 years in office and couldn't get this done. Yet Obama was in office 3 months and has succeeded in completing the mission and begun getting the boys home. God Bless President Obama.

Posted by: Joe | April 7, 2009 1:49 PM

Thanks for the afternoon joke. BO is on basically the same time table getting the troops out of Iraq that was outlined in the agreement between the US and Iraq months ago.

Don't let the facts get in the way now.

Mel, I did make an error. I meant Bush pushing for Turkey's admittance into the European Union and not NATO as I wrote. On Obama and the troops in Iraq, your Messiah actually has been all over the place on that one, ending with him as president now and keeping 50,000 troops in Iraq for longer than the 16 months he finally ended up campaigning on. But how does leaving 50,000 troops there sit with his earlier promises?

John D, how about you find one place where Obama called for "immediate withdrawal" as you claimed. Either that, or admit that you were wrong. Yet again.

As a frequent critic of President Obama I have to give the man credit where it is due. Hats off to him for visiting our troops, recognizing their sacrifice and the "extraordinary achievement" of transforming Iraq into a fledgling democracy. In the midst of the constant, droning chants from the left of the wrong war at the wrong place at the wrong time, the President recognizing the significant short and potentially long-term success is refreshing.

Amazing, Bush spent 8 years in office and couldn't get this done. Yet Obama was in office 3 months and has succeeded in completing the mission and begun getting the boys home. God Bless President Obama - "Joe"

Yo Joe, you enlisting? No? Well, unless about 50,000 quick and get in, those 'boys' you're talking about aren't coming anywhere near home. Yes, they're leaving Iraq (maybe), but they're going straight to Afghanistan.

You didn't hear? Chicagobama is putting more troops into that war now.

God bless the uneducated Americans with blinders on.

Hey - if you remember, I was one of Obama's supporters.
It's taken me all of 3 months to realize that Obama isn't anything but a the greatest
Posted by: karl | April 7, 2009 12:30 PM

Well you must have been a "strong" supporter to hold on a total of 3 months. I guess you are more a suppoter of Rome can be built in a day party. 8 years the cost of these wars never written in the budget.........would that be called "hidden"? While it would be wonderful to wake up tomorrow and find everything fixed, it would truly be Disneyland I would be waking up in, not reality.

Stupid conservatives! He did wave a white flag or surrender a damn thing! he also did not promise to get us out immediately as one moron said. Some of you wingnuts lie worse than your hero, Bush.

JD SAID........."THE MOST dangerous and inept administration in this country's history. BY FAR!"
Those that can not remember history are doomed to repeat it.
JOHN D obviously can not remember the last 8 years. John D you are either senile or stupid or both.

Will someone PLEASE clue the Prez in about proper grammar? It's "Michelle and I" not "Michelle and myself!"

Sure, picky, picky. But he's representing ME and I'm tired of his grammatical errors. Get him a teleprompter if that's what it takes.

Bill r. - where's the stimulus money? The $700 billion that Congress hastily approved to GIVE to Hank Paulson?

Where's the transparency?
why's Geitner the Sec of the Treasury? He was a FEDERAL Reserve guy - I thought Obama promised me NO Washington insiders?

I do like your analogy to Rome. The State definitely has started to feel like the Great Empire. I don't put that on Obama, I put that on Bush and Clinton - I think Obama is nothing more than an empty suit - someone trotted out to play the great part of "hope/change". I've seen no change. I've seen more of the same. He has peddled "financial fear" the exact same way the GWB peddled "terrorist fear". He's surrounded by lobbyists and insiders - former Clinton Era insiders. Where are the fresh faces - I would think a South Side Chicago community organizer would actually pull a few S. Siders off the street and put them in? Why not? It sounds ridiculous? Ok, more of the same then - that's your change. Go back to sleep - your 'guy' won. There's nothing to fear here. The world is a better, safer place. Your job and way of life are perfectly secure. I'm way off base.

Why did Obama not rescind the Patriot Act? Where's that transparent train of though headed?

Mel, mel mel, mel, there is stuff all over the place, but of course, as an Obamabot, you readily want to ignore reality. So, here is a bit for you:
http:/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-481393/Obama-calls-immediate-withdrawal-US-combat-troops-Iraq.html

Let me pull a couple of quotes from Obambi's speech, and of course, he was wrong all the way around:

"Let me be clear: There is no military solution in Iraq and there never was," said Obama.
"The best way to protect our security and to pressure Iraq's leaders to resolve their civil war is to immediately begin to remove our combat troops. Not in six months or one year - now."

You see, Mel, my error in the NATO/European Union issue was just a little mental fart.I meant EU when I wrote in NATO. You, on the other hand, show either complete ignorance or willing ignorance to cover for your Messiah. Fact is, Obama has been all over the place on when to leave Iraq and now that he is pre, his timetable is not much different than that of the Bush administration, which began bringing troops home last year becuase of the success of the surge, a surge that Obama said would fail and was the wrong thing to do. Wrong, wrong, wrong, Obama and his Obamabots.

Bill r. - where's the stimulus money? The $700 billion that Congress hastily approved to GIVE to Hank Paulson?
Posted by: karl | April 7, 2009 5:25 PM

Would that be the money given to Paulsen under the Bush presidency? I remember Bush saying that it was needed right away with few strings attached. Now I know you didn't support bush...but holy moly...that wasn't president Obama. Once again Karl.......3 months.....what would you be able to accomplish in a new job in 3 months? Would you be able to change the new companies complete way of doing business in 3 months? I feel we are headed in the right direction.........I am willing not to judge too quickly as again.......Rome was NOT built in a day. Just my opinion! Of course...you know what they say about opinions.

ps...Talk about financial fear.....I find the republicans using "populist" anger to bash continually everyday..every airwave. If you think "tripling down" on Bush tax cuts for the rich is the answer...cause that's what is in the joke of a budget they presented, by all means go with it........but please take time to see what the republicans offer...examine it closely....then decide.

Bill r. - I can cede to a few fine points about the 3 months, but let me ask you, if you were in this position, as elected leader of the free world, and you pledged to offer change and transparency, who would you name to the positions in your cabinet?

Would you grab people from the past administrations who you feel have put us in this current 'crisis du jour'? Or would you say to yourself, it is truly time for change, and name people that nobody has ever heard of and indeed breath fresh air into Washington.

His first decision was to name Rahm Emanuel as his Chief of Staff. I'm a Chicagoan, and Rahm was a Clinton guy. That move spoke volumes about where Obama's 'change' movement is headed.

He kept on Robert Gates, the same guy who worked for GWB?

He reaffirmed the Patriot Act, the single most far-reaching piece of legislation infringing on our civil liberties.

If he was 'changing', I would have hoped that Patriot Act would have been the first item removed. I would have hoped that options to prosecute Bush/Cheney would have been left open.

I'm disappointed. Unemployment keeps going up. I don't blame Obama for this. The budget that Obama proposed contained earmarks - another thing that he pledged to remove. Yes, the Repub counter was ridiculous. I don't play either side. The whole system is broken. It's not repub/dem. Look at Illinois - Gov Blagojevich (D) was just indicted along with a top money-funneler/power broker William Cellini (R). They're co-defendents.

It's not black/white, Dem/Repub. One hand washes the other. The system has no accountability. The banks are too big to fail? The auto industry is not? or it is? Rome is burning.

Hear hear, ChiTowny! The loyal Bushneys just can't stand the idea that--god forbid--Obama just might straighten this country out and upturn the status quo. They're just horribly afraid of change.

But those who dare, win.

LLying Johny D - do you reallyn think everyone is so dumb as not to actually read the article you linked to?

From the very same article:

Obama said the US and the Iraqi government should discuss how to go about withdrawing troops.
"We must get out strategically and carefully, removing troops from secure areas first and keeping troops in more volatile areas until later," said Obama.
Although he stopped short of calling for an immediate pullout of all troops, Obama said there should be a clear and certain timetable.
"But our drawdown should proceed at a steady pace of one or two brigades each month," he said.
"If we start now, all of our combat brigades should be out of Iraq by the end of next year." (That would be 15 month after the date of the article.)

You really are a bad liar John D. You fool no one. and once again you prove yourself to be wrong, wrong, wrong or a liar, liar, liar.

Hey, I am glad to see that Obama is following in the footsteps of Bush and supporting the military. Bush was very well liked by the military and I think that as long as Obama continues to support the initiatives that Bush successfully instituted he will do fine. For all of you Obama supporters who thought he was going to immediately pull out of Iraq...LOL...I hate to say I told ya so, but....

as elected leader of the free world, and you pledged to offer change and transparency, who would you name to the positions in your cabinet?
Posted by: karl | April 7, 2009 5:25 PM
I don't totally agree with that thinking. As much as we would like Washington to change, I beleieve it takes people who understand Washington to make these changes. Am I thrilled with every pick? No....So? Washington is a rough place. The "loyal" (ha ha) opposition waits for the slightest thing to pounce on, not for the good of the country, but the good of their party. Some "freshface" would get eaten alive. Sorry...that's just I think. Openess...transparency.....just imagine 3 months to be president with 2 wars, an economy in the pits, and opposition that just doesn't want join in. The only way to know you are going forward is to see where you've been. We have been 8 years with an administration that certainly wasn't open, didn't include the cost of those wars in the budget. 150 grad students from Pat U in the justice system, Abramoff, a new VP branch of government, torture.............so looking back....I can see we are definately headed in the right direction after 3 months.

I have nothing to spread except hatred and ignorance...I love guns.

Posted by: Typical Republican | April 7, 2009 12:04 PM "

I love the way libs need to stereotype thier adversaries in order to make themselves feel better and to justify their silly thought process.

Posted by: JD | April 7, 2009 12:31 PM

A lot like Republicans stereotype THEIR adversaries (whether or not it's to make yourselves feel bettery or justify your silly thought processes -- assuming you have thought processes at all -- either way being pretty much immaterial)? Or is it somehow different when Republicans stereotype? Did you think it was any prettier when you guys were doing the same thing?
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http:/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-481393/Obama-calls-immediate-withdrawal-US-combat-troops-Iraq.html

Let me pull a couple of quotes from Obambi's speech, and of course, he was wrong all the way around:

"Let me be clear: There is no military solution in Iraq and there never was," said Obama.
"The best way to protect our security and to pressure Iraq's leaders to resolve their civil war is to immediately begin to remove our combat troops. Not in six months or one year - now."
Posted by: John D | April 7, 2009 5:37 PM
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John D, your source, a British news article dated September 12, 2007, indicates Obama said he'd "immediately begin to remove our combat troops", not that he'd finish the removal immediately. Actually, the goal of getting them out by the end of 2008 (according to the same article) was not exactly in his hands, was it?. What Obama actually said about that was: "If we start now, all of our combat brigades should be out of Iraq by the end of next year." Why would you not have mentioned that part of the article? I'd hate to think that you would cherry-pick your facts to suit your conclusion and leave out what doesn't fit. Here's another quote from the author of that article you left out: "Although he stopped short of calling for an immediate pullout of all troops, Obama said there should be a clear and certain timetable." I guess it's pretty easy to glean "Obama called for an immediate pullout of all troops" from "he stopped short of calling for an immediate pullout of all troops", huh? Even easier when that's what you WANT to see, too, I bet.
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Thanks so much for making that one so easy to kick to the dirt, where it belongs! Now -- do you have any OTHER sources that actually DO quote Obama as promising an immediate withdrawal?