Obama announced Iraq withdrawal

[badger]

Link (http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=13&articleid=20111021_13_0_WASHIN398726)

Hate him or not, you have to admire that he is keeping some campaign promises and at the same time also seems to be taking a strong stance against terrorism (helping Libya with their Gadhafi problem, eliminating Osama bin Laden)

[pphilfran]

The deal was signed in 2008 prior to Obama taking office...

He gets kudos for following through...he did make some changes but the overall strategy was put into place by the Iraqis and agreed to by the previous administration....

[sappstuf]

The deal was signed in 2008 prior to Obama taking office...

He gets kudos for following through...he did make some changes but the overall strategy was put into place by the Iraqis and agreed to by the previous administration....

Phil,

we can only blame Bush for things, not give him credit. You should know this.

[pphilfran]

His actual campaign promise was to remove troops within 16 months of taking office...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/3461368/British-and-US-troops-to-leave-Iraq-by-2011.html

9:22PM GMT 14 Nov 2008

British and US troops to leave Iraq by 2011

Iraq is likely to approve a military pact with a timetable for the withdrawal of all US troops by 2011 and British troops will leave by the end of next year, Iraq's national security adviser said on Friday.

Muwafaq al-Rubaie said that the controversial Iraq-US security pact could be passed by Iraq's cabinet as early as this weekend.

"I honestly believe we have reached now a very good text... And this text will secure the complete, full, irrevocable sovereignty of Iraq," he said, who is also Baghdad's chief negotiator on the security pact.

"I believe, I hope, that the council of ministers will pass the new text Sunday and (then) it will be passed on to the parliament."

Baghdad has been racing to secure separate agreements with both the United States and Britain to replace the UN mandate currently governing the presence of foreign troops in the country, which expires on Dec 31.

The US and Iraq have been wrangling over the document, the so-called Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), a wide-ranging US military pact, for months.

The draft agreement calls for US troops to pull out of Iraqi cities by June 2009 and from the entire country by the end of 2011.

But Mr Rubaie said Iraq was open to shortening the timetable to match US President-Elect Barack Obama's campaign pledge to withdraw from Iraq within 16 months of taking office.

"If Obama... decides to implement his plan for the 16-month withdrawal from Iraq we are ready for that," he said. "We would be co-operating with him, and we would understand, and we would work with him to fulfil his election promise."

Mr Rubaie meanwhile said he expected all British troops would be gone by 2010.

"By the end of next year there will be no British troops in Iraq. By the end of 2009," Rubaie said, adding that negotiations between London and Baghdad on the pull-out had begun two weeks ago.

"It will be a much shorter agreement with the UK... It's much shorter and much simpler," Rubaie said, adding that there would be a "dramatic" reduction of British troops by the middle of 2009.

A British defence ministry spokesman in London said in response that Britain has "no timetable" for the withdrawal of its roughly 4,000 troops in Iraq, the vast majority of whom are based in the southern city of Basra.

"At the minute, we have no timetable," the spokesman told AFP. But he said that the military was on course to meet British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's proposed "fundamental change of mission" in 2009.

In July Brown indicated he wanted to cut the number of Britain's troops but ruled out a timetable for their withdrawal.

[pphilfran]

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=5304404&page=1

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., struggled Thursday in two separate news conferences to explain his plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq. Obama said in the first press conference that he will "continue to refine" his plan to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq in 16 months when he travels to the war-torn country later this month to meet with American military commanders.

"I've always said that the pace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability. That assessment has not changed," said Obama. "And when I go to Iraq and have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I'm sure I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies."

Obama's openness to adjust his 16-month withdrawal plan was somewhat at odds with the stance he took during a recent ABC News debate. At the time, Obama seemed to stand by his campaign manager's unambiguous pledge to have troops out of Iraq in 16 months "at the most."

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe told reporters on March 7 that Obama has been "crystal clear with the American people that if and when he is elected president, we will be out of Iraq in -- as he said, the time frame would be about 16 months at the most where you withdraw troops. There should be no confusion about that with absolute clarity."

[NormanPride]

Oh well. I was about to give him some credit. Bah.

[Fraggle145]

Who cares who gets credit? Our boys are coming home (at least from one hell hole). That is a good thing.

[SicEmBaylor]

Who cares who gets credit? Our boys are coming home (at least from one hell hole). That is a good thing.
+1 It's a very very good thing. Now we need to work on withdrawing all troops from Afghanistan as soon as humanly possible. After that maybe we can start removing ourselves from Cold War hotspots like S. Korea, Japan, Germany, etc.

I long for the day we withdraw all of our troops from Europe, Asia, and the Mid-East.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

Oh well. I was about to give him some credit. Bah.Beary hasn't had to face an election since '08, so maybe he WILL bring home the troops, to recharge his voting base.

[badger]

Beary hasn't had to face an election since '08, so maybe he WILL bring home the troops, to recharge his voting base.

I thought troops historically voted Republican. I suppose it depends on who the Republicans put up against President Obama.

[SicEmBaylor]

I thought troops historically voted Republican. I suppose it depends on who the Republicans put up against President Obama.

I think he meant that bringing the troops home will energize the liberal base thus increasing turnout in favor of Obama. At least I hope that's what he meant because otherwise that's a supremely stupid and idiotic statement.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

I think he meant that bringing the troops home will energize the liberal base thus increasing turnout in favor of Obama. At least I hope that's what he meant because otherwise that's a supremely stupid and idiotic statement.Thank you so much for anwering the question meant for me. We would hope that Badger won't notice the backhanded insult you threw at her.

[badger]

Chill guys. I don't feel insulted, backhand or forehand... you'd have to go much farther anyway. Even misogynist statements either make me roll my eyes or giggle, depending on how desperate they sound. :D

I think people have to feel energized to vote more than ever... I mean, people have been concerned more than ever about every issue imaginable. Jobs lost, income lost, immigration, terrorism, Wall Street 401ks, health care, health insurance (ANY insurance), war... tons of reason and incentive to feel the need to vote in 2012.

I could see an even higher voter turnout than in 2008.

[Sooner5030]

good thing I'm not on the G5 (planners) staff of centcom. Those poor dudes just got handed a challenge. Not an operational challenge but definitely a logistical and battle-hand-over challenge.

[soonercruiser]

I agree, and think that pulling our troops from Japan, Europe, etc. is the best way to start ANY Pentagon budget cuts!
We must continue R&D to keep our superiority.

[soonercruiser]

I thought troops historically voted Republican. I suppose it depends on who the Republicans put up against President Obama.

Badger,
You know how some of the overseas troops ballots went the last election!!!
Bringing the troops home is the only chance for their vote to count 100%!
(Unless they are voting in east Philly! Then it won't matter, unless they bring a weapon!)

[AlboSooner]

Finally.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

Badger,
You know how some of the overseas troops ballots went the last election!!!
Bringing the troops home is the only chance for their vote to count 100%!
(Unless they are voting in east Philly! Then it won't matter, unless they bring a weapon!)thankew!