Deadly Iraq war ends with exit of last U.S. troops

CNN ^ | Sun December 18, 2011 | Moni Basu

[Jack Hammer]

Give it about six months to descend into anarchy.

[Sine_Pari]

By your logic, many boomers should have run in droves to the GOP after Kennedy and Johnson got us into and escalated, respectively, the war in Vietnam. IMHO, Iraq was one of many themes the left (DNC, progressives, socialists, MSM, etc.) used to make the 2008 elections “anybody but a republican” election rather than a vote for Hussein. Although, I have plenty of anecdotal evidence pointing at many sheeple voting for Hussein after getting caught in the “historic moment” of voting for a black president. I hope many of these voters have by now seen the light. As for the troops, get home soon and enjoy some rest. The next deployment is not too far into the future. Regards

[factoryrat]

We went into Iraq, did what we needed to do, and gave the country back to its people. Our troops did a great job, at great cost of life, making the country safe for its own people. What the iraqis do with their country from here on out is completely up to them, hopefully they won’t squander it.

[metesky]

This is the Middle East, bub; it’s never over.

[CougarGA7]

I wonder when these morons in the media are ever going to figure out that the Iraqi War only lasted 28 days. That’s how long it took to topple Saddam’s government. Everything else after that has been a combination of trying to help the new government in Iraq get on its feet and counter insurgency against those who wished to disrupt that process.

[DeaconRed]

"I wonder when these morons in the media are ever going to figure out that the Iraqi War only lasted 28 days."

That would be NEVER.
At first they were to stuck on stupid doing their best to make "W" look bad.
Then they were trying to make the community organizer look good.

So they answer is they ARE STUCK ON STUPID. . . .

[trebb]

True. Like Vietnam, we left it a free nation. If it falls, it is not because they didn't have a chance.

I think the Vietnamese probably had a stronger desire to be free, but we pulled the rug out and millions were slaughtered.

Iraq has a much better chance of defending itself, but I question the will to be free vs. leaning towards the jihadists.

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

out of the combat zone.

1st Cavalry Division's main concern was how to avoid a traffic jam

Moni Basu some day will be recognized for the contradictory hyperbole that flows from the keyboard; typical CNN reporting.

[Scotsman will be Free]

What a waste of blood, treasure and time.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

America and our allies went far beyond removing a dictator. It’s now up to the people of Iraq to determine their fate. God bless our troops.

[dog breath]

No matter how badly the Iraqis manage to make a mess of their own country in the future, we will be blamed for it whether we stay or go.

[LZ_Bayonet]

Veni, Vidi, Vici!

[silverleaf]

“Bush’s war” in Iraq is over

Now begins Obama’s war

But now, who will now keep track of the Iraqi civilian death toll?

[Future Snake Eater]

There’s more to life than politics, and major decisions should take far more than just politics into account.

[Bryanw92]

It’s 1973 again. I hope the US Embassy has a nice helipad on the roof.

[A.Hun]

We have won the war in Iraq. Our troops are coming home honorably, leaving tens of thousands of dead jihadis and a free nation behind.

Besides our troops, one man's vision and courage are responsible. That man was George Walker Bush.

When the chips were down, the MSM was in full control of the public discussion, and with his own base becoming weary, President Bush had the guts to persevere. The Surge heartened the Iraqis enough to end the brutal anarchy. The Sons of Iraq, common Iraqis, stood up. I, like President Bush, knew the Iraqis could....I knew it from the first election when Iraqis of all stripes defied the jihadis by giving them a purple finger.

This will be GWB's legacy, because it is the truth.

Already on this thread, there are posters who consider the war a huge waste of time, money, and men. They are wrong. We rid the world of a madman that tortured his own people, wiped out innocents with chemical weapons, threatened and invaded his neighboring countries...deep in the most economically sensitive area of the world.

We had fought one war with him to run him out of Kuwait, spent ten years chasing his WMD, and enforced a no fly zone to keep thousands of more innocents from dying at his hands. He had plotted to asassinate a former President.

We ended Saddam's reign of terror in the Middle East, all his dreams of WMD, and his threats to our security.

As a bonus, we had a venue to kill all manner of Al-Qaeda operatives on a foreign soil, instead of waiting for them to come here, or ferreting them out of the caves of Afghanistan. They came by the thousands from all over the world, and died in Iraq at the hands of our soldiers and at the hands of Iraqis.

In fact, the brutality of the jihadis was on display for years, giving them a huge PR defeat. Arabs learned by experience that jihadis would target them, rather than the Americans who could fight back. The war in Iraq nearly destroyed Al Qaeda, set back international jihad for decades, and showed that the US could back up its words with deeds.

This war had value beyond measure, and was well worth our soldiers sacrifice.

Now we are leaving a relatively peaceful nation, with a functioning representative democracy chosen by their people, and enough infrastructure to support themselves. They are free from tyranny, and we have given them the chance to remain that way. It is now up to them. I can only pray that Obama's failure to keep some forces stationed in Iraq will not come back to haunt them and us.

Our troops deserve to come home now, and should receive a hearty "Job Well Done!". They earned it with professionalism, courage, tenacity, and sacrifice. GWB deserves credit for standing firm and giving them the opportunity to prevail.

Thank you President Bush!

[RetiredArmy]

I agree. Iraq will not last long. South Vietnam fell quickly. This will happen in Iraq also. Thanks Scumbama. Another 5,000 US military deaths, for what? Iraq will end up being just what happened to South Vietnam, belonging to the enemy. The Izzie brotherhood will start here next.

[servantboy777]

>>Iraqi civil war in 3...2...<<

Yep. Like we were gonna change thousands of years of in fighting between tribes and sects. Make them all love one another.

We shoulda went in, removed Saddam and his sick, twisted, sadistic sons and then pulled out.

10 years, thousands of dead and wounded Americans, billions upon billions of dollars....for what?

In a matter of a few years, we will witness on the evening news, yet more barbarism, brutality and human rights violations.

[LZ_Bayonet]

"Thank you President Bush!"

An excellent, comprehensive and eloquent post! Thank you.

Too bad President Obama doesn't have the class to to say the exact same thing...then again, it would interfere with his agenda.

[A.Hun]

You’re welcome, it really is my pleasure though..

Isn’t it amazing to watch the MSM and the Democrats forego a chance to give America a huge pat on the back?

There has never been better proof of their wish for the downfall of our nation, than ignoring one of our greatest foreign policy successes.

Absolutely unbelievable.