The War is Over!!! Well – Maybe Not
His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Barry-O I made the official announcement earlier this evening that “combat operations in Iraq” are complete. One would get the idea from this announcement that he has belatedly made good on a campaign promise. However, upon further inspection, you see yet another level of deceit from the factually challenged president. Allow me to explain.
For the past month, the Obama compliant main stream media has been tripping over itself to indoctrinate the American people that the Emperor was finally making good on his Iraq War promise. Troops were shown to be leaving their bases in Iraq and shifted to bases in Kuwait. However, many combat troops actually remain in Iraq in spite of the media gushing and tonight’s announcement from the Charlatan-in-Chief. Rather than pulling ALL the combat troops out of Iraq, the Obama Infestation simply renamed them and redefined their mission.
What was formally known as a Combat Battalion is now being referred to as “Advice and Support Battalion”. Instead of it’s mission being to seek out hostile insurgent forces and improvised explosive devices, our troops will remain on their bases and wait for something to happen that the Iraqi Defense Forces cannot handle on their own – which is just about everything that could happen.
The telling story in all of this comes from the Bangor Daily News published on August 24th…
As the nation watches troops being withdrawn from the Middle East, few perhaps are aware that another wave of soldiers is being deployed.
On Tuesday, a group of about 150 soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, based in Fort Hood, Texas, had a two-hour layover at Bangor International Airport on their way to southern Iraq.
In reality, the troops being “withdrawn from the Middle East” are troops who were late being cycled back to the US. Additional troops are being filtered into Iraq and Kuwait to serve in these new “Advice and Support Battalions”. Nothing’s changed but the mission and the names of the units. Tankers, Cannoneers, and Infantrymen are still being deployed to Iraq or to staging areas outside of Iraq. The idea that the “War” is over is a twisting of the truth.
What is more offensive and hypocritical of Obamaramadingdong is the fact that he takes credit for the accomplishments that our troops have made. As a Senator he opposed the troop surge which is the reason why the insurgency has been suppressed to the point where Obama can feel comfortable with scamming the American people. Additionally, as a Senator, Barry voted against funding troops in the field.
To add insult to injury, the Emperor mentioned former President George W. Bush in passing during his announcement. Saying that he spoke with the former President about this announcement earlier in the day and although he and the former President had differing views on the War in the beginning, blah… blah… blah…
Obama is an opportunity seeking flim-flam man. If he were a box of cereal (aptly named BarryO’s) he’d be an exciting colorful box that promises great taste, zero calories, zero grams of sugar, zero cholesterol, but when you open the box, there’s nothing inside. But then again, what do you expect from the empty suit that brought us undefined ‘hope’ and ‘change’?
Speaking of which, I believe that I’ve finally figured out that whole ‘hope’ and ‘change’ thing.
Like it or not, he’s going to fundamentally ‘change’ American and we are all going to have to ‘hope’ that our freedoms aren’t all completely taken from us in the process.
Blind ‘hope’ in undefined ‘change’. How’s it working out for you America?
- Unemployment nearly doubled.
- Deficit nearly quadrupled.
- National Debt approaching $14 Trillion with unfunded liabilities approaching $130 Trillion.
- Record numbers of Americans on food assistance.
- 1-in-6 Americans on some form of federal assistance.
Somehow, I don’t think this is what the voters were expecting.
As for August 31, 2010 being the date to end combat operations, truth be told President George W. Bush negotiated this event. Even though August 31, 2010 date wasn’t mentioned specifically in the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), it has always been understood that events on the ground would determine the ultimate time-line of events. According to the agreement…
The U.S. has been involved in military operations in Iraq since March of 2003. The legal framework under which the U.S. has operated includes H.J.Res. 114 (P.L. 107-243), multiple U.N. Security Council Resolutions, as well as orders under the Coalition Provisional Authority. The U.N. Security Council extended the mandate for the multinational forces through December 31, 2008.
On November 26, 2007, U.S. President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Kamel Al-Maliki signed a Declaration of Principles for a Long-Term Relationship of Cooperation and Friendship Between the Republic of Iraq and the United States of America. Pursuant to this Declaration, the parties pledged to “begin as soon as possible, with the aim to achieve, before July 31, 2008, agreements between the two governments with respect to the political, cultural, economic, and security spheres.” Among other things, the Declaration proclaims the parties’ intention to enter an agreement that would commit the United States to provide security assurances to Iraq, arm and train Iraqi security forces, and confront Al Qaeda and other terrorist entities within Iraqi territory.
On November 17, 2008, after months of negotiations, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and Iraq Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari signed two documents: (1) the Strategic Framework Agreement for a Relationship of Friendship and Cooperation between the United States and the Republic of Iraq, and (2) the Agreement Between the United States of America and Republic of Iraq On the Withdrawal of United States Forces from Iraq and the Organization of Their Activities during Their Temporary Presence in Iraq. The second agreement is commonly referred to as the SOFA between the United States and Iraq and is incorporated by reference into the larger strategic agreement.
Congress has several tools by which to exercise oversight regarding negotiation, form, conclusion, and implementation of agreements by the United States. The agreements with Iraq were negotiated and concluded as executive agreements and entered into force on January 1, 2009, and yet there remain many unanswered questions about the specific terms within the SOFA. This report begins by discussing the historical legal framework governing U.S. military operations in Iraq. The report then provides a general background as to the content of agreements traditionally considered Status of Forces Agreements (SOFAs). Finally, the report discusses specific aspects of the SOFA, highlighting issues that may require continued congressional oversight. [1] – emphasis mine
In reality, as long as US forces were withdrawn from the cities by June 30, 2009, and the mandated date for full withdrawal “no later than December 31, 2011[2]” hasn’t expired, anything short of full withdrawal is consistent with the US-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement which became binding 19 days prior to Obama assuming the Presidency.
To put it bluntly, Obama just rode in as the current Lib Infesting 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. to take credit for the withdrawal as if he had to actually do something to bring it about. It’s pretty easy to be seen as making the difficult decisions when they have already been made by more responsible and prudent individuals before you ever needed to take the matter under consideration isn’t it?
In conclusion, Iraq is still a potentially dangerous place and the United States is still under an obligation to provide security and training for Iraqi Defense Forces. There is a reason why U.S. troops haven’t left the region entirely, but rather withdrawn to another friendly host country in the region from which rapid deployment is possible.
As the Obama Infestation plays games with semantics in regards to our fighting men and women in Iraq, the Emperor has egg on his face in regards to Afghanistan. In the past 3 days 21 U.S. troops have lost their lives in Afghanistan. One has to wonder, if Obama would have given Gen. Stanley McCrystal the full number of troops he asked for, could these 21 deaths have been minimized or avoided?
/rant
References and/or Footnotes:
- U.S.-Iraq Withdrawal/Status of Forces Agreement: Issues for Congressional Oversight – July 13, 2009 Summery [↩]
- U.S.-Iraq Withdrawal/Status of Forces Agreement: Issues for Congressional Oversight – July 13, 2009 ‘Withdrawal Timeline’ page 10. [↩]

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