Obama Pledges 2011 Troop Withdrawal

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — President Barack Obama announced Friday that he would withdraw most U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the end of next summer, fulfilling a central campaign promise and setting an end date to a six-year war that has claimed the lives of 4,251 American troops.

Obama, speaking before thousands of camouflage-clad Marines, declared that he would “remove our combat brigades over the next 18 months.”

“Let me say this as plainly as I can: by Aug. 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end,” the president said, winning applause from an audience filled with veterans of the conflict.

Obama’s move to conclude the deeply polarizing war in some ways brings him full circle, just over a month into his presidency. It was his initial opposition to the conflict and vow to end it that did so much to lift the young Democrat into contention two years ago.

Obama’s withdrawal plan will take slightly longer — 18 instead of 16 months — than his campaign proposal, something he said was a result of consultations with military commanders.

But more significantly, it will leave between 35,000 and 50,000 U.S. troops in the country even after Aug. 31, 2010, by which point approximately 100,000 combat personnel will be out of Iraq.

The level of that residual force drew unusual criticism from top Democratic congressional leaders this week who said it was larger than they anticipated.

After a White House briefing Thursday with Obama and his top military advisers, these Democrats were more restrained if no less uneasy after the speech Friday.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) praised the plan as “sound and measured,” but hinted that he still was concerned about the troops who would stay in the country.

“I strongly believe that we must responsibly end the war in Iraq to make America more secure and must keep in Iraq only those forces necessary for the security of our remaining troops and the Iraqi people,” Reid said in a statement. “I look forward to further discussing this plan with the president and working with him to ensure we are doing what is best for America’s security interests and ensuring our military remains the strongest fighting force in history.”

Even as he was fending off criticism from his own party, Obama drew support on his right from his opponent in last year’s campaign, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) — a sign of the emerging bipartisan consensus that U.S. troops should now be withdrawn from Iraq.

Despite having said during the contest that Obama “would rather lose a war than lose a campaign,” McCain took to the Senate floor Friday morning to offer measured praise for the plan.

“Given the gains in Iraq and the requirements to send additional troops to Afghanistan, together with the significant number of troops that will remain in Iraq and the President’s willingness to reassess based on conditions on the ground, I am cautiously optimistic that the plan as laid out by the president can lead to success,” he said. 

McCain, who was among those briefed on the plan Thursday night in the White House, noted in his statement that the withdrawal would be back-loaded toward 2010.

“Most combat forces would remain in place for the duration of this year, ahead of the national elections likely to take place in December,” he said.

Obama, in his 30-minute address, made clear that, despite the predictions of President George W. Bush, there would be no long-term U.S. troop presence in Iraq as there has been in Germany and South Korea since American conflicts there.

“Under the Status of Forces Agreement with the Iraqi government, I intend to remove all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011,” he said to a round of applause.

At least for now, Obama does not plan on asking Iraqi officials to allow any to remain in the country after thatdeadline.

The president, who spent much of his two-year campaign criticizing the war, made no mention of the surge of troops there, but said that there is now “a renewed cause for hope in Iraq.”

But Obama made no mention of the word “victory” and was careful to note that difficulties in the country remain. 

He would only cautiously allow: “Thanks in great measure to your service, the situation in Iraq has improved.”

Unlike Bush’s now-infamous “Mission Accomplished” speech on an aircraft carrier in 2003, there was little pomp to the president’s appearance.

His tone was even and there was little stagecraft to the event, held in an old basketball field house on this sprawling Marine base.

Obama, in his first address as commander-in-chief to a military audience, was surrounded by his top military advisers and spoke against a backdrop of young Marines; the corps’ eagle, globe and anchor insignia; and a massive American flag.

His announcement of withdrawal brought an ovation from the troops, but his homage to their service and promise to increase their pay won the cheers and “hoo-ahs.”

Obama largely avoided direct criticism of the war, but won applause by hinting at his oft-stated view that the invasion was unnecessary and occupation mishandled.

“And as long as I am your commander in chief, I promise you that I will only send you into harm’s way when it is absolutely necessary and provide you with the equipment and support you need to get the job done,” he said.

And looking ahead, Obama emphasized the different approach he planned to take in the region, promising to engage Iran and Syria and shift the U.S. focus to other pressing matters there such as Afghanistan, where hundreds in the crowd Friday will soon head, a nuclear Iran and the Arab-Israeli dispute.

“This reflects a fundamental truth: we can no longer deal with regional challenges in isolation — we need a smarter, more sustainable and comprehensive approach,” he said.

In Iraq, the remaining troops and civilians will turn to an advisory and support role and the central U.S. mission will become diplomacy. Obama announced that, as expected, he would tap veteran diplomat Chris Hill as the new ambassador in Baghdad.

To Iraqis, Obama made plain that the U.S. had no designs on their country.

“We respect your sovereignty and the tremendous sacrifices you have made for your country,” Obama said. “We seek a full transition to Iraqi responsibility for the security of your country. And going forward, we can build a lasting relationship founded upon mutual interests and mutual respect as Iraq takes its rightful place in the community of nations.”