Obama's Speech

My first thought watching President Barack Hussein Obama give his refurbished Oval Office speech on Iraq tonight was that he looked like a deer in the headlights.  I saw absolutely no emotion, he could have been reading a shopping list --  bread, check;  milk, check;  butter, check.  Charles Krauthammer called the speech flat and odd.  That pretty much sums it up.  Col. Ralph Peters described him as 'not engaged'.  

Obama did what the critics hoped he would do, credit former President George W. Bush for the surge, for his patriotism and love of country.

…As we do, I am mindful that the Iraq War has been a contentious issue at home. Here, too, it is time to turn the page. This afternoon, I spoke to former President George W. Bush. It’s well known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset. Yet no one could doubt President Bush’s support for our troops, or his love of country and commitment to our security. As I have said, there were patriots who supported this war, and patriots who opposed it. And all of us are united in appreciation for our servicemen and women, and our hope for Iraq’s future.

Full transcript here…

He honored the service of U.S. troops and civilian workers in Iraq.  

"At every turn, America's men and women in uniform have served with courage and resolve," Obama said. "As commander in chief, I am incredibly proud of their service. Like all Americans, I am awed by their sacrifice, and by the sacrifices of their families."

More than 1 million American troops have served in Iraq in the course of the nearly seven-year war; more than 4,400 have died and nearly 32,000 were wounded. (NPR)

For Obama Iraq has always been a distraction from his main interest, completely transforming America, and now he is putting it behind him and 'turning the page':  "Tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended.  Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country".  Well, not exactly.

I'm not sure why we even needed this Oval Office speech --  other than President Bush announced the start of the war in an Oval Office speech -- since on Tuesday morning Obama visited an Army base in Texas to greet troops who will deploy to Iraq as part of the new support mission, "Operation New Dawn''  and could have made the same speech there.

Obama, never one to admit he has made an error, confirmed his intent to leave Afghanistan in July 2011.  He tried to address the economy, jobs, and make a few political points there, but again he fell flat.

In this image from video, President Barack Obama speaks from the Oval Office at the White House on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2010, about the end of the U.S. combat role in Iraq.

UPDATE:

From my blog friend Yid With Lid (read all his commentary on the speech here "Full Text of Obama's Speech Ending the War On Iraq (Annotated With Corrections and Snarky Comments")

"This was my pledge to the American people as a candidate for this office. Last February, I announced a plan that would bring our combat brigades out of Iraq, while redoubling our efforts to strengthen Iraq's Security Forces and support its government and people. That is what we have done. We have removed nearly 100,000 U.S. troops from Iraq. We have closed or transferred hundreds of bases to the Iraqis. And we have moved millions of pieces of equipment out of Iraq.

Excuse me Mr. President, but YOU LIE.  The timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops in Iraq was decided during the Bush administration with the signing of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) by U.S. and Iraq officials on Nov. 16, 2008. The Iraqi parliament signed SOFA on Nov. 27, 2008.

The agreement, set a timetable calling for most U.S. troops to leave Iraqi towns and cities by June 30, 2009, with about 50,000 troops left in place until the final withdrawal of all U.S. military forces by Dec. 31, 2011.

Comments

[Skunkfeathers]

THe libtards brought us Jimmy Carter, and put the most inept president in the 20th Century in office; now in the 21st, Carter has been out-inepted by Barry.

Fire the Democrat Party. Every last mutha's son/daughter of it.

[rob]

lol....ya we need someone like Bush back. The right gets dumber every year.