Obama Claims War in Iraq is "Nearing an End"
By the end of 2011, according to the Obama administration, Iraq will be devoid of American Troops. The plan is to have drawn down the troops to leave just around 50,000 by the end of next month, shifting the mission to training and support of Iraqi security forces.
Obama is optimistic that this plan will hold. "The hard truth is we have not seen the end of American sacrifice in Iraq," Obama said. "But make no mistake, our commitment in Iraq is changing — from a military effort led by our troops to a civilian effort led by our diplomats."
Of course, it's not like the troop draw down will eliminate the United States from wartime efforts, or even bring all those troops home. It's pretty clear that while Iraq may be settling down, the conflict in Afghanistan is clearly heating up and that's where a lot of those stationed in Iraq will be heading. There will be about 10,000 troops heading to Afghanistan, bringing the total on the ground to around 97,000.
Obama was also just as clear about his intent when it comes to Afghanistan, "We face huge challenges in Afghanistan," he said. "But it's important that the American people know that we are making progress and we're focused on goals that are clear and achievable."
However much Obama might be talking up the troops withdrawing from Iraq, the credit simply cannot totally be placed on his administration. As House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) points out, a lot of the credit has to be placed on the proud shoulders of the troops.
"Despite what many politicians continue to say, the success of the surge strategy put in place by Generals Petraeus and Odierno is undeniable," he said, after pointing out that the congressional Democrats had originally fought against the surge, which in the end proved to be the more successful option. At the time, Obama was a senator and voted against the surge.
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