December 2, 2009: Obama said he'd begin sending the additional troops "at the fastest pace possible" starting in early 2010 "with a goal of starting to withdraw forces from the country in July 2011."
August 2, 2010: "I think we need to re-emphasize the message that we are not leaving Afghanistan in July of 2011," said [Defense Secretary] Gates, referring to a deadline set by President Barack Obama for the start of a withdrawal."My personal opinion is that drawdowns early on will be of fairly limited numbers," he told ABC's "This Week."
"And as we are successful, we'll probably accelerate."
So's you don't try to cash that check Obama wrote. And what about Iraq? Isn't the war there over? I'm pretty sure Obama brought that one to an end, just like he said he would when he was campaigning for the presidency.
President Barack Obama will tell Americans on Monday he is on track to carry out his campaign promise of ending the Iraq war as he marks a milestone in winding down major combat operations there this month.[...]
"As a candidate for president, I pledged to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end," Obama will say in a speech to the Disabled American Veterans convention in Atlanta.
"Shortly after taking office, I announced our new strategy for Iraq and for a transition to full Iraqi responsibility. And I made it clear that by August 31, 2010 America's combat mission in Iraq would end. And that is exactly what we are doing -- as promised, on schedule."
Did Obama really promise to end the war in Iraq? And what was his timeline, if he did?
BARACK OBAMA, OCTOBER 2002: With all that we know about what's gone wrong in Iraq, even today's debate is divorced from reality. We've got a surge that is somehow declared a success even though it has failed to enable the political reconciliation that was its stated purpose.[...]
This election is about ending the Iraq War.
[...]
The first thing we have to do is end this war. And the right person to end it is someone who had the judgment to oppose it from the beginning. There is no military solution in Iraq, and there never was. I will begin to remove our troops from Iraq immediately. I will remove one or two brigades a month, and get all of our combat troops out of Iraq within 16 months. The only troops I will keep in Iraq will perform the limited missions of protecting our diplomats and carrying out targeted strikes on al Qaeda. And I will launch the diplomatic and humanitarian initiatives that are so badly needed. Let there be no doubt: I will end this war.
How's that again?
"… and get all of our combat troops out of Iraq within 16 months. The only troops I will keep in Iraq will perform the limited missions of protecting our diplomats and carrying out targeted strikes on al Qaeda. "
Troops who carry out targeted strikes against the enemy are not combat troops?
Sixteen months: January 21, 2009 – August 31, 2010?
But wait - there was more:
October 27, 2002 … "I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank."
And of course, the banks were screwing you, too, so I guess that was the appropriate place to take it.
More than seven years after the United States ousted Saddam Hussein from power, negotiations in Iraq have failed to form a new government.Almost five months after Iraq held a parliamentary election meant to set it on a course toward stability after years of war, sanctions and insurgency, political factions have not reached an agreement on who the next prime minister will be.
[...]
Obama will underscore in the speech his goal of removing all U.S. troops by the end of next year.
Put that on your calendar.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
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