American troops completed the scheduled withdrawal from most Iraqi cities today, handing over security to Iraqi forces.
Barack Obama’s shining countenance on TV plus the death of Michael Jackson have pushed news from the war in Iraq to the background. Today, talking about Iraq was more important than ice cream and basketball.
In a press conference this morning the President thanked our troops for their bravery and courage, and gave support to Iraqi soldiers who will now be responsible for defending the budding democracy.
There was no mention however, of President Bush’s resolve and strength as he battled through the hardest part of the war and struggled to implement the “surge” strategy that snatched victory from the hands of defeat. It’s probably because Barack Obama opposed the surge back when the Bush administration and top generals were calling for a new strategy for victory in Iraq, claiming that the war of distraction was already lost. Obama’s strategy back then, in the hardest of times, was to have our troops flee and leave hundreds of thousands of Iraqis to die. Vice President Biden’s “solution” to the quagmire we faced only two years ago was to forcefully split the country into separate nation states divided by race, ethnicity, and religion…Yeah, good one Joe.
Although the President doesn’t have the courage to thank his predecessor—how could he? he has a policy of blaming all the world’s problems on Bush—the former president’s strength and resolve is painted proudly on the canvas of a now free and locally controlled Iraq.
Thank you President Bush, mission accomplished.
