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Eric Black Ink

ABC says Obama set to announce full military withdrawal from Iraq

By Eric Black | 10/21/11

Jake Tapper and Luis Martinez of ABC report that Pres. Obama will announce a full drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq by the end of this year.

What think?

Comments (10)

Submitted by Tim Walker on October 21, 2011 - 12:00pm.

It's about time.

Submitted by Rod Loper on October 21, 2011 - 1:03pm.

Elections do matter, don't they. Imagine President
McCain....imagine Justice John Yoo etc. etc.

Submitted by Paul Brandon on October 21, 2011 - 6:45pm.

Will it be real?
Or will there still be thousands of 'advisers' or 'trainers' there?
Not to mention mercenaries like the former Blackrock.

Submitted by Richard Schulze on October 21, 2011 - 10:55pm.

The United States lost 4474 soldiers (and counting), with thousands more crippled or wounded, spent a couple of trillion dollars that helped wreck our economy at home, and did not get much in return. We'll sell some military gear to the Iraqis and make some money, but in the end George Bush went to war and all we got was a low-rent dictatorship turned into a low-rent semi-police state.

Oh well, let's not dwell on Iraq, such a downer. Brighter fields beckon southwards. I'm sure with some grit, a positive attitude, and innovative public-private partnerships America will see many future successes in Africa.

Submitted by Paul Brandon on October 22, 2011 - 9:32am.

Richard--
The 4474 is just the start.
If those billions of $$$ had been put into medical care, research and public health, tens or hundreds of thousands of lives could have been saved.

Submitted by Bernice Vetsch on October 22, 2011 - 4:41pm.

Paul (#3) -- The plan, as I read a couple of months ago, is to use mercenaries instead of US marines, who are the traditional guardians of embassies abroad. The State Department will take over responsibility for security in Iraq and will hire some 5,000 Blackwater types to protect the Green Zone and the Largest Embassy In the World, and will fly officials around the country as needed.

Iraq's refusal to guarantee immunity from criminal prosecution for our armed forces is the reason we are pulling our troops. I'll bet the Iraqis wish they had thought of that years ago.

Submitted by Bernice Vetsch on October 22, 2011 - 4:45pm.

And Richard (#4) I do believe the "advisors" we are sending to Africa are to serve as the wedge for the full militarization of Africa from top to bottom (it's call AFRICOM) with bases in every country.

So far, however, every country has refused to allow us to build a base within their borders. Maybe that refusal is the wedge that will drive the end of Empire, thus doing us a great, great favor.

Submitted by Peder DeFor on October 23, 2011 - 9:16am.

Richard, according to Keynesian theory, the money spent on Iraq should have been good for the economy. If you have a theory as to how it contributed to the housing bubble or the aggressive risks taken in the financial sector I'd love to hear it.

I hope we're doing the right thing leaving Iraq now. Hoping that this decision isn't based on short term politics but instead on actual conditions there.

Submitted by Paul Brandon on October 23, 2011 - 2:36pm.

Peder--
That depends on where the money goes.
If it is spend on materials manufactured in the United States by American workers, then it will be.
On the other hand, the money being handed out to Iraqi politicians that goes down the rat hole of Iraqi corruption (or Pakistani, or Afghani) will not do a thing for us.

Submitted by Richard Schulze on October 23, 2011 - 5:42pm.

Peder, A lot of our foreign aid supports U.S. defense jobs, that in-itself could be considered "Keynesian spending". This is "economic stimulus" spending that is always considered politically safe.

The U.S. military presence in Iraq has very little effect upon the country today. Most Iraqis never see U.S. troops anymore. U.S. influence overall has waned. Violence, insurgency, and the Special Groups have largely been at the same level since Jan. 09. The economy is completely dependent upon oil so international markets decide its fate, not the Americans. If the U.S. were to leave tomorrow that situation would not change.