Barack Obama’s Shell Game in Iraq

Barack Obama’s claim that he fulfilled his campaign promise to withdraw troops from Iraq is a hallow claim.  First of all, the fulfillment of the promise came almost a year late.  

Secondly, the troops could have been withdrawn long before Obama’s original.  But he had to do it “responsibly”.  Yeah right.  We marched right in and we could have marched right out in 90 days tops.  But Obama took campaign contributions from the same war profiteers as Bush and Cheney. 

Thirdly, Obama is only withdrawing “combat” troops leaving behind “non-combat” troops to “advise and assist”.  These “non-combat” troops are not carrying weapons are in grave danger.  The violence in Iraq is already escalating, as it inevitably would whether we have stayed 100 days as Ron Paul wanted or 100 years as McCain wanted. 

Will Obama keep his promise to withdraw ALL troops by the end of 2011?  I doubt it.  And what about XE (formerly known as Blackwater)?  When will they be withdrawn?  Obama’s claim that he has withdrawn troops is also hollow because he has increased the U.S. presence of these and other non-military “contractors” in Iraq.  This is just a cosmetic change.

Obama said that if he had been President at the time we went to war with Iraq, he wouldn’t have made that choice, but now he sees that it was worth it?  Huh?  What a flip-flop!  I don’t think I would wish that he was President in 2002 because I think he’s lying.  Most everyone else is flip-flopping the other way.  Will the Democrats go back to being the pro-war party?  Furthermore Obama’s statement shows his ignorance (or wish that American people remain ignorant) of the Constitution--going to war is not his call, it’s the Congress’.

And don’t forget the “surge” in Afghanistan.  There were very few Al Qaeda left in Afghanistan at that time.  This is almost as foolish as going to war in Iraq.  He “closed the barn door after the horse had already left”.  There were no Al Qaeda in Iraq at the time we invaded, but they are there now.  It makes no sense.