GOP slams, Dems praise Obama over Iraq withdrawal

AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

After 8 years of combat in Iraq, the United States Congress remains divided over the need for U.S. troops in that country. The president's official announcement today that the remaining U.S. troops will withdraw from Iraq by the end of the year drew praise from Democrats while high profile Republicans questioned whether the move is premature.

Republican Sen. John McCain said in a statement that the president's decision is a "harmful" setback for U.S. interests in the Middle East.

"I respectfully disagree with the President," McCain said. "This decision will be viewed as a strategic victory for our enemies in the Middle East, especially the Iranian regime, which has worked relentlessly to ensure a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. It is a consequential failure of both the Obama Administration -- which has been more focused on withdrawing from Iraq than succeeding in Iraq since it came into office -- as well as the Iraqi government."

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Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., echoed McCain's sentiments. "I fear this decision has set in motion events that will come back to haunt our country," he said.

Democrats largely praised the decision as a promise then-Senator Obama made while campaigning for President.

AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

"I commend the President for a promise made and a promise kept," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. Pelosi said the move honors "the U.S.-Iraq Security Agreement and the wishes of the American people to bring all our troops home by the end this year."

That U.S.-Iraq Security Agreement was brokered by Iraqi leaders and President George W. Bush. As part of that agreement, President Bush approved the timeline that would bring U.S. troops home by the end of this year.

Congress has approved $800 billion that the United States has spent on the Iraq war and that country's reconstruction. That's around the same amount Congress authorized for the Troubled Asset Relief Program that bailed out banks to avoid economic catastrophe in 2007. Or close to the price of the president's stimulus plan that attempted to get the economy out of recession in 2009.

But 4,479 U.S. troops lost their lives fighting for the United States in Iraq and members of Congress have grown more and more weary of the war. Lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to approve military action in October of 2002, voted based on the false premise that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

In the last half of the war, members of Congress questioned whether it was worth spending money on this war in the midst of a recession. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., and a group of liberal Democrats formed an "Out of Iraq" Congressional Caucus in 2005 to push for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq.

In a statement today, Waters said that the members formed the group out of concern that "the war would place members of our armed forces at great risk while also depleting resources needed for our nation's domestic agenda."

Waters added that "as the war in Iraq draws to a close, it is my hope that this conflict will serve as a solemn reminder of the costs of war. We must carefully reexamine our approach to national security and how we view the United States' role in promoting international peace and security."

House Speaker John Boehner said he's concerned that the withdrawal could reverse progress made in Iraq, but he urged continued engagement between the two countries.

In a statement, Mr. Boehner said that despite U.S. soldiers leaving Iraq, "we owe it to them to continue engaging with the Iraqi government in a way that ensures our hard-fought gains translate into long-term success."

Boehner added: "I'm hopeful that both countries will work together to guarantee that a free and democratic Iraq remains a strong and stable partner for the United States in the Middle East."

MORE: A harsh response from Mitt Romney, Rick Perry and other Republican presidential candidates

[NinthSt78]

He's reducing the budget deficit. They should be thrilled that he gave them what they wanted.

[notparicular]

Bring our troops home. Obama has done the right thing. Perry is just pi-ing against the wind in criticizing Obama's decision to announce the timing of our troop return. Perry has made himself into a moneyed fo-l.

[Anotheryahoo]

Iraq will always be remembered as one of those really stupid things we did right next to Vietnam. What were we thinking or rather we were not thinking. Wars forced on the American people by politicians.

[vet97]

It amazes me how these republicans are more than willing to spend money in Iraq (money which we do not have!)- some of which will help to rebuild Iraq and create jobs in Iraq. At the same time they obstruct the Jobs Bill Act- a bill that would help to rebuild our infrastructure and create jobs at home. Why don't the republicans tell the Iraqis what they're telling us?...that they need to sacrifice and pull themselves up by their bootstraps...you can't be looking for hand outs...tell the Iraqis NO BAILOUTS and NO STIMULIS packages....why don't they tell the Iraqis that they're not too big to fail...and why don't they the Iraqis the best government is a small government...they don't need government interfering in their lives...they are capable of making their own decisions without someone from the outside forcing their will on them...don't forget to tell them not to allow the government to take your guns away! Suggestion...take the money you're willing to spend in Iraq and SPEND IT AT HOME WHERE IT BELONGS!!!!

[rayz28-2009]

Really great responses too bad these political terrorists (GOP & Tea-Party Radicals) are not listening. Unless it says Cajing they hear nothing. So let them hear the handle being pulled on the trap door of the VOTERS as they are voted out of office. That is the only way to change the results.

[shurch4truth]

Don't loose sight of the fact that the Republicans got the US into this unnecessary war and that they crashed the economy at the same time


They are experts at weakening the middle class and helping the rich to gain more wealth

Everything about their philosophy and policies favors war and making the rich more rich which makes the middle class poor.

vote anything but Republican!

[1988JAck]

Tthe Republicans would try to spin their way to criticizing Obama if he said God id good.

They are shameless and weak.

[AOCGUY]

Let me get this straight, President Bush brokers an agreement with the Iraqi leaders to have all US troops out of Iraq by the end of this year and now President Obama honors that agreement in absence of any request by the Iraqi government to extend our presence and now the GOP is complaining?

That is the height of hypocrasy. Had McCain won in 2008 and this was happening the GOP would be praising this action.

[shurch4truth]

Just a case of jealous Republicans wanting to take attention of Obama's success all over the globe in foreign policy.

Why is it the Republicans will say things that could bring harm to an American plan for their own political benefit?

Remember what John McCain wanted to do- stay there for 100 years!

[ozilot]

by smittyc October 21, 2011 11:50 PM EDT
The sloppy intelligence was turned over by Madeline Albright, Clintons Secretary of state, specifically WMD. You should google this for your own satisfaction. Albright is still around by the way and Chairman of PEW.

===========================

Is that the best you can do?

What about Condi Rice...her specialty was the Soviet Union...yet she and other neocon intellectuals missed the collapse of the USSR entirely...you know what you can googe!

[clydealan2]

Bush made the call on sloppy intelligence. Who cares where it came from; his call was either incompetence or an outright lie. Either he was too incompetent to verify WMD's or he lied to America. He was the president - not Madeline Albright.

[RobAla]

"President Obama's astonishing failure to secure an orderly transition in Iraq has unnecessarily put at risk the victories that were won through the blood and sacrifice of thousands of American men and women," he said. "The unavoidable question is whether this decision is the result of a naked political calculation or simply sheer ineptitude in negotiations with the Iraqi government. The American people deserve to hear the recommendations that were made by our military commanders in Iraq."

I certainly hope Romney is wrong, but I feel sure he is right. Washington has been in chaos for the last two years, and I am afraid this is more of the same. I certainly hope President Obama is not so irresponsible as to risk the stability of a new Iraq by an attempt to cater to his left wing base. I hope this doesn't undo all that has been accomplished by those who have given their lives. It seems to be totally rash to remove all troops, instead of an orderly downsizing.

[tvwatcher5345]

google who is in romney's foreign policy team, it is the same group of pro-israeli neocons who got us into iraq in the first place, but two quick points, the president of iraq is an iraninan pupet, our tax dollars are going to prop him up, second i think the place will fall apart when we leave, and we will pay more at the pump, but that is our karma/penalty for having gone in there in the first place