Obama burnishes the Bush II legacy: the US has established a "democratic" & "sovereign" Iraq.

[Karmadillo]

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0522/Obama-to-West-Point-grads-Success-in-Iraq-progress-in-Afghanistan

<edit>

Obama referred repeatedly to the US engagement in Afghanistan, noting that he chose West Point as the venue for unveiling his new Afghanistan strategy six months ago. But he also used his speech to speak about the seven-year war in Iraq in a way that may have been bittersweet for former president George Bush.

“This is what success looks like,” he said, noting that departing US combat troops will leave behind a “democratic” and “sovereign” Iraq that is “no haven” for the kind of violent extremists that attacked the US on Sept. 11, 2001.

President Bush was criticized and lampooned for his frequent insistence that the Iraq war was delivering a “democratic” Iraq the US could work with instead of worry about. But recently even some critics have begun to acknowledge the positive results of a long and costly war.

Beyond “success’ in Iraq, Obama said the US is also seeing progress in Afghanistan. And while he noted that the 2010 West Point commencement is the ninth held with the nation in a state of war, he said that broader battle with violent extremism is also making important advances.

more...

[dipsydoodle]

1. Iraq wasn't a haven

for the kind of violent extremists that attacked the US on Sept. 11, 2001 while Saddam was in power.

[AndyA]

2. Democratic? Hmmm. Sovereign? Weren't they a sovereign nation before we invaded?

I thought the "elected" head guy in Iraq was as corrupt as could be. I thought he was refusing to step down, even though he no longer had the most votes.

Is this what a democratic, sovereign nation is now? A corrupt official who loses an election and refuses to leave his position?

Good going, America! Let's shove democracy down the throats of all nations!! They'll love it, even if it doesn't seem like it at the time!!!

[Solly Mack]

3. WsMD are where exactly?

[Hawkowl]

4. WTF?!?

Has the demon that possessed Cheney migrated into Obama? Has Obama gone completely mental? This is beyond belief. I'm stupefied with the morphing of President Obama into Bush III.

[G_j]

5. channeling Bush

....“no haven” for the kind of violent extremists that attacked the US on Sept. 11, 2001.


what is this fucking nightmare that we can't wake up from?

[Autumn]

6. It was almost obscene looking at Obama and hearing him

speak Bush's words so eloquent.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. Success, huh? This Iraqi blogger disagrees.

Note: I have her permission to post her blog here. Notice the date of this entry.

http://livesstrong.blogspot.com/

Talk about daily life of a teenage girl in Iraq, and days of suffering and success. My nick name will be Sunshine..
Saturday, May 22, 2010

Stop the bloodshed..

The situation in Mosul is horrible, The terrorists attacked the Christian students in their way to collage, some were killed and others were injured, it was shocking news, and we all felt so worried about our Christian friends and classmates .
Since the election, the terrorists forced the Christians to leave Mosul, the majority left to the nearby villages, and every day they come to work, school, and try to live their daily lives, but with a heart full of fear..

My neighbors left Mosul, leaving behind a big space in neighbors' hearts, we call them constantly, they come from time to time to take necessary things from their house, and couple of days ago, their dad came to say hello and brought a nice jasmines bouquet ..

My next door neighbors are still hiding in their home, they went to Syria for three months and then came back, we talk from the fence, and our sight are always directed to their door, watch who's in and out, whenever we see someone knocking their door, we open our door and watch silently, this make them feel more secured, to know the neighbors are watching their back .. we visited them last week, a life like this is truly unbearable, they can't go to work, shop, whenever the bill rings they expect the worse .. I have deep sorrow.. their daughter got married last Friday, without a celebration or a party, her husband picked her up and they went to the north, it is safer for them.

All of that is happening while the politicians fight each other, and try to take over the incumbency..
Every day in my way to collage, my heart ache to see the black sings carrying names of the young people who were killed " 'by a perfidy action", some are Christians , and others are non, no one deserve to die like that..

I wonder for how long this situation will last, we did reach the bottom, and I wish there will not be worse situations, although every day I say "it can't be worse" and in the next morning I wake up trying to feel optimistic and then find the day even worst ! ..
At last, I can't do anything but praying to god, may he protect Iraqis, and Iraq, may he bless the souls of the martyrs and give their families and friends the patience, and heal the wounds of the injured Iraqis …

May the bloodshed stop, and may peace come soon ..

Sunshine

[madrchsod]

22. sunshine is one of the few survivors in iraq

i`ve been following her for it seems many years. most of the first iraqi bloggers have disappeared or moved to other countries.

[msongs]

8. in that case yank the military and let em be...sovereign and unoccupied nt

[robinblue]

10. yes, it is past time they sorted out their own problems.

[aquart]

9. That's grotesque. Can we leave now?

They have a lot of mass murder to get on with and we are in the way.

[zipplewrath]

11. And a strong Iranian ally

As well as a moderately threatening neighbor for Saudi Arabia. Not to mention a brewing Kurdish problem for Turkey. And there's always the real risk of a return of genocide in that country. Heck of a job they're doin' there.

[golddigger]

12. Well, he does make pretty speaches.

[Bluebear]

13. Iraq 9/11 Irag 9/11 Ira1 9/11 ...sounds familiar

[bvar22]

14. As long as there are American troops on Iraqi soil,

as long as the Iraqi skies are dominated by American Warplanes,

as long as American Tanks patrol Iraqi streets,

there is NO ""democratic" & "sovereign" Iraq.

The Iraqi people are exactly as free as the French under the Vichy (NAZI approved) Government.

[mkultra]

15. It would be a haven if we walked out

At least that's what many people think. They believe that Al Queda would fill the vacuum if the Iraq military wasn't up. It always seems odd to me how so many people misconstrue what he means.

[Greyhound]

16. Good wording, congratulations. K&R.

[Karmadillo]

17. Here's a link to how he used to talk when he thought the Iraq War was a dumb war.

http://www.ontheissues.org/celeb/barack_obama_war_+_peace.htm

<edit>

2002 anti-war speech was not popular opinion at that time

Obama took a bold step. On 2 October 2002, before a few hundred demonstrators gathered at Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago, He spoke out unequivocally against the invasion of Iraq. "I don't oppose all wars." Obama said, "What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war....What I am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income." It was a hard speech to give, he said later. "I was about to announce for the United States Senate and the politics were hard to read then. Bush is at sixty-five percent . You didn't know whether this thing was gonna play out like the first Gulf War, and you know, suddenly everybody's coming back to cheering." Perhaps as a result, he said, "That's the speech I am most proud of."

[unhappycamper]

18. I'm getting damn tired of 'success' and 'progress'. n/t

[madrchsod]

21. i guess it`s easy to wage war when you never faced it.....

http://www.westpointgradsagainstthewar.org/military_industrial_complex_speech.htm

[WinkyDink]

19. Doesn't matter if Iraq is now Eden. THE U.S. ILLEGALLY INVADED! MURDERED INNOCENT CIVILIANS!

DESTROYED IRREPLACEABLE ARTIFACTS OF HUMAN AND WORLD HISTORY!
RUINED IRAQI BUSINESS!
GAVE HALLIBURTON BILLIONS FOR WAR-PROFITEERING, SERVING OUR SOLDIERS SPOILED FOOD, ELECTROCUTING THEM IN THEIR SHOWERS, ETC.!

AND: WE ARE NOT "IN A STATE OF WAR." WE HAVE NOT OFFICIALLY or LEGALLY---I.
E., BY CONGRESS---DECLARED WAR VS. AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ, PAKISTAN, OR ANY OTHER NATION.

[madrchsod]

20. we could have bought off saddam....

rebuilt the oil fields, saved countless lives, and saved at least a trillion dollars.... ya some success obama.

there were`t any "violent extremists" in iraq before little georgie`s invasion...does he really expect people to buy this shit?

[MissDeeds]

23. It emperor has no clothes

Every day brings another disappointment with this guy. Why doesn't he just go ahead and declare that he is a Repub?

[Greyhound]

24. OK, so now Rovian talking points have become reality.

More change?
:kick: