Posted on 02/27/2009 9:55:44 PM PST by Steelfish
REVIEW & OUTLOOKFEBRUARY 28, 2009 Obama's Bush Vindication
The President's good turn on Iraq.
It was never very likely that President Obama would come out and praise George W. Bush for the latter's handling of the Iraq war, and in his speech yesterday to the Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C., he didn't.
Then again, we didn't quite expect to find ourselves praising President Obama for his handling of Iraq.
So here goes.
Though the headlines from the President's speech mostly focused on his promise to end all U.S. combat operations in Iraq by August 31, 2010 -- and withdraw U.S. forces fully by the end of the following year -- there was considerably more to it than that.
For starters, Mr. Obama again acknowledged that our forces in Iraq had "succeeded beyond any expectation," not least his own.
Mr. Obama was also rightly generous in his praise of outgoing U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Generals David Petraeus and Ray Odierno, "two of our finest generals."
All three men were Bush appointees, and all were instrumental in devising, advocating and implementing the surge strategy that Mr. Bush pursued amid the derision of his critics, including then-Senator Obama.
President Obama also recognized that Iraqis themselves have made significant political progress, and that "there is renewed cause for hope in Iraq."
That's a far cry from his message of last July, when he told reporters, after visiting Iraq, that "So far, I think we have not seen the kind of political reconciliation that's going to bring about long-term stability in Iraq."
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
He would never have given that speech if he were not speaking in front of actual military.
I bet he gives a very different speech on this subject in front of liberal contributors.
You nailed this one well.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2009/02/theyre_warriors_not_victims.asp
This is a very subtle form of the soldier-as-victim trope that is fast becoming an Iraq legacy. For soldiers throughout history—those who have endured physical and emotional sufferings of an essential similar quality, if less clinically expressed—the trials of war were at least partially ameliorated by the salve of personal honor and, if the battle went well, the celebration of a victory. The troops who have served and serve still in Iraq should be singled out not just for the burdens of the fight but because they emerge from it, as Bing West’s book puts it, as the “strongest tribe.”
Well, isn’t that interesting... the headline all day has been “US troups to exit Iraq by August ‘10”. Turns out that’s not what he said.
Great post.
I am intensely interested in how the troops think about this war, and about Obama, but I don’t see their opinions given often enough in the mainstream press, not nearly so often as “regular folks” are. It’s like they’re no longer citizens anymore, and the press are afraid to talk to them in case they have an opinion that will move public opinion. Or worse, once they go to war, they’re no longer “real” citizens—yeah, big surprise the MSM sees them that way, huh?
Where I come from...
This is commonly referred to as...
“Two-Faced”
My local NBC station here in Nashville said that. The stupids here have no idea he has a 50,000 “troop” contingent for containment. The left is right and the right is left. It’s so stupid to even keep up with it.
“Here” being lefty Americans.. Let me clarify before I get flamed.
This speech was nothing more than pandering to the military.
He makes me sick at the mere thought of him as CinC.
He ought to have spoken to his own low expectations of our military and our President Bush’s mission.
Patriotic Americans, real Americans, knew our troops could do any job at all given the chance.
Listening to the radio in the car it sounded as tho O got huge applause when he said he was ending the war....blah blah blah.
Wish I could have seen for myself, but my blood pressure does not allow me to even glimpse the louse.
Am I the only one who wonders what was really going through George W.’s mind yesterday when Obama made the “courtesy call” to him.
Did Obamadoom mention that his V.P. wanted to divide Iraq into three separate parts not that long ago?
Yes the HPIC (head-porksucker-in-charge) will go down in history as the great president who brilliantly continued the policies of the incredibly stupid george bush.
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