NPR
August 31, 2010
As President Obama marked the end of combat operations in Iraq with a speech to the nation Tuesday night, he acknowledged the ongoing challenges in a country that still faces insurgent violence and political turmoil.
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Tim Sloan/AFP/Getty Image |
But the president also said he has fulfilled a pledge to the American people.
"Last February, I announced a plan that would bring our combat brigades out of Iraq, while redoubling our efforts to strengthen Iraq's security forces and support its government and people. That's what we have done," the president said. "We've removed nearly 100,000 U.S. troops from Iraq. We have closed or transferred to the Iraqis hundreds of bases. We have moved millions of pieces of equipment out of Iraq."
"Last February, I announced a plan that would bring our combat brigades out of Iraq, while redoubling our efforts to strengthen Iraq's security forces and support its government and people. That's what we have done," the president said. "We've removed nearly 100,000 U.S. troops from Iraq. We have closed or transferred to the Iraqis hundreds of bases. We have moved millions of pieces of equipment out of Iraq."
The president said the U.S. mission would now become one of advising and assisting Iraqi forces as the country takes over its own security. That work will be the main challenge for the nearly 50,000 American troops who remain in Iraq — many of them combat forces who have been moved into new roles.
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Obama used his speech to honor the service of U.S. troops and civilian workers in Iraq, a task he began Monday with a private visit to wounded veterans at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and continued by speaking to soldiers at Fort Bliss, Texas, on Tuesday.
"At every turn, America's men and women in uniform have served with courage and resolve," Obama said. "As commander in chief, I am incredibly proud of their service. Like all Americans, I am awed by their sacrifice, and by the sacrifices of their families."
More than 1 million American troops have served in Iraq in the course of the nearly seven-year war; more than 4,400 have died and nearly 32,000 were wounded.
Looking Ahead
The president took time to acknowledge the costs of the Iraq war for the U.S. "The United States has paid a huge price to put the future of Iraq in the hands of its people," Obama said. "We have sent our young men and women to make enormous sacrifices in Iraq, and spent vast resources abroad at a time of tight budgets at home."
EnlargeMarwan Ibrahim/AFP/Getty Images
U.S. troops patrol in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Aug. 26. They will remain after President Obama declares the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq.
Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, said the president should acknowledge the costs of the war in Iraq versus its effect on national security. "I think it's important to remind the American people — diplomatically — that the Iraq war has been a negative for U.S. national security," Katulis says.
Obama was a sharp critic of the Iraq war, and his campaign pledge to end the conflict helped him win the White House. Despite that, he told the troops at Fort Bliss that "America is more secure" because of their efforts in Iraq.
Obama reiterated an agreement to move all U.S. troops out of Iraq by the end of next year and spoke to the division the war had caused in the U.S.
"This afternoon, I spoke to former President George W. Bush. It's well-known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset. Yet no one could doubt President Bush's support for our troops, or his love of country and commitment to our security," Obama said. "As I have said, there were patriots who supported this war, and patriots who opposed it. And all of us are united in appreciation for our service men and women, and our hope for Iraq's future."
The Facts: U.S. Presence In Iraq
- More than 1 million U.S. military personnel have served in Iraq since the war began in 2003.
- 50,000 American (noncombat) service men and women remain in Iraq.
- The White House says it will stick to its agreement to have all U.S. forces out of Iraq by Dec. 31, 2011.
As expected, he also looked ahead to the widening conflict in Afghanistan.
There, he said, "we will disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida, while preventing Afghanistan from again serving as a base for terrorists. Because of our drawdown in Iraq, we are now able to apply the resources necessary to go on offense."
Addressing Polls At Home
It was Obama's second televised speech from the Oval Office — the first came earlier this year to address the Gulf oil spill. His focus on Iraq came at a time when polls show most Americans worried about the sputtering economy and jobs.
The president spoke to that concern in his speech: "Our most urgent task is to restore our economy, and put the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs back to work."
It will be difficult, Obama said, "but in the days to come, it must be our central mission as a people, and my central responsibility as president."
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