From the office of U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski:
U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) today issued the following statement on the formal end to the War in Iraq:
“Nearly nine years ago, our country launched a preemptive war against Iraq. I was one of 23 Senators who voted against sending American troops to Iraq and since then have looked for every opportunity to bring them home. I am glad that this costly and painful war in Iraq has finally come to an end.
“To our outstanding men and women in uniform I say, you have performed brilliantly and sacrificed greatly in Iraq. We have seen the best of a generation fight valiantly on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. The courage and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform along with their families has been heroic. Many served multiple deployments. Over 4,000 American servicemembers died – including 74 Marylanders – and tens of thousands more were injured, both physically and emotionally.
“Our troops have honored our country by volunteering to serve, and I worked to honor their sacrifice by continuing to fight to bring them home. As they return home, we must stay firm in our commitment to them by making sure they have access to the services and support they and their families have earned and deserve. As a member of the Senate Military Family Caucus, I will never stop fighting for the men and women in uniform who have fought on behalf of our nation.
“I commend President Obama for standing by his commitment to bringing our troops home from Iraq. I respectfully urge the President to now examine every opportunity to accelerate bringing our troops in Afghanistan home swiftly and safely. As in Iraq, America has paid a steep price for the long and costly war in Afghanistan. It’s time to bring our troops and money home from Afghanistan and focus on investing in job creation here on the home front.”
Commend Obama? Obama had nothing to do with it…he dragged the Iraq war out as long as he possibly could. This withdrawal was brokered under the Bush administration and the Iraqi government, Obama is just honoring this agreement which doesn’t sound very “ballsy” to me.
Thank God this waste of time, blood, and treasure is finally winding down.
And,…wasn’t it Bush who put his fist into the hornets nest?
Well, there’s the Liberal “leadership” mindset in a nutshell.
The moron that got us into it would have been better served by finishing the other one he was in. At least the elective-hobby-shock-and-awe war is over… now all we have to do is finish the one that was actually thrust upon us.
I seem to remember comments President Obama made when he was campaigning for POTUS, that if elected he would bring the troops in Iraq home by the end of his first year in office, one combat brigade per month, until all eleven brigades were withdrawn. When asked if the advice from his Commanders on the ground would not support such a withdrawal, Obama answered that as Commander In Chief, he would call the Commanders in and redefine their mission, giving them a new mission of withdrawal within the first year of his being in office.
It is nice to know that our troops are coming home. It is also nice to know that Obama abandoned his foolish statements about the first year withdrawal, and stuck with the Bush negotiated withdrawal plan of troops out by the end of 2011, provided conditions on the ground still supported a withdrawal. There are those who think that conditions on the ground do not support total withdrawal, and time will tell if they are right.
A big Thank You to all who have served on our behalf in Iraq. Welcome home to all!!
Well, at least Obama kept one campaign promise. It remains to be seen how long Iraq will remain free and if the thousands of millions of dollars spent and the lives lost ( American and Iraqi )was worth it. Welcome home troops.
I am glad the troops are coming home. I have no faith in this administration to have a plan in place to ensure peace in Iraq within the volatility of the Mideast. The president even said our diplomats were unsafe there.
So, let’s see if, we can have faith in your strategy. How would you ensure peace without leaving and having to maintain a large occupying force in country?
Does anyone have a credible plan to bring peace to a people that do not seem to want peace? Whether you are talking Iran, Afghanistan or Israel, Iraq or anywhere else over there, forcing your view of how things should be done with your money only irritates the natives and wastes your own resources. The Arab Spring occurred with very little intervention in most cases, Libya being the exception. And at least in Libya you had a lot of European allies interested in the outcome and willing to devote to the battle to unseat Qaddafi. It would be arrogant to believe that we can solve all the world’s problems. It would be foolhardy to try.
Neither Bush nor Obama matter now. All that matters is that the war is over and our relatives and neighbors are home.
Citizen: Let’s hope your statement remains true, that neither Bush or Obama matter now. While we have withdrawn from Iraq, we have not gone far. Our ability to strike immediately and with significant force remains. While we could not be classified as occupiers, we would be engaged in combat, whether it is called War or not. It is War to those engaged. In my opinion President Obama remains relevant in this discussion.
Citizen,
On the contrary Obama does still matter and let me tell you why. He still has the power to get us in to another mess and to keep us in the Afghanistan fiasco as long as he wants. He is neither a diplomat nor a statesman and his leadership skills are poor at best. He wants to be a friend to Pakistan and they are laughing at us to our face, not even behind our back. He hasn’t a clue how to deal with Iran and Iran knows it. We better get someone in office that can straighten up the mess here at home and also around the world before it is too late.
Yes, Mikulski commends Obama. The old bloated gasbag would commend him on a particularly impressive bowel movement as well given the opportunity. I cannot recall ever hearing anything out of her office that was worthy of my attention. The ultimate political toadie.
LOL @ Amazed,hahahahaha,,, How true, only hear the commending, not the condeming of Obama. Typical.
Babs, how about retiring? I didn’t even know you were still in Congress. Obama is a leader from the back of the room. He would need help in running a red light.