Friday, September 3, 2010

(Posting #1) Reflections on the Iraq War

I've created this thread so that we can continue our class discussion about the Iraq War. I've attached a link to President Obama's primetime address here - you may wish to view it again (in its entirety?) before you post. Also, it might be helpful to read liberal and/or conservative reactions to the speech. EJ Dionne, a left-leaning columnist for The Washington Post, offers his thoughts here, and Karl Rove, a conservative political consultant who worked for George W. Bush, comments here.

To satisfy the requirements for this assignment, you must either: 1) post your opinion - thoughtfully; and/or 2) respond to one of your classmates' posts - in the spirit of deliberative dialogue. (Daily Work grade)

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65 comments:

jcjones9393 said...

After briefly reading the reactions to Obama’s speech, I’ve decided that I agree with the reaction of Karl Rove. He made several good points, the summary of his reaction being that Obama did a great job of acknowledging the work of the soldiers and all of their efforts, but Obama didn’t seem to have a specific topic to his speech. It agree that the troops have done so much for our country and although I’m thankful for that I still agree that taking the troops back to America is a bad idea. My thoughts are that if, in past wars America has fought in, we decided to stop and retreat back to the US, present day and the past soon after the wars would have been completely different. I also have to agree with Henri’s point, which is that it shows weakness as a country. It would make us seem vulnerable and attackable; keeping up bases and troops in Iraq will help us show our military power (from what I’ve learned in past history classes, this tactic has been a pretty successful one). I definitely have to agree that Obama is trying to be as helpful as possible and doing what he thinks is best for our country, but one year is way too soon to pull out troops after a war this long; they should stay put for a while longer until there’s an end or some sort of conclusion.
-Jordan J

Alex and Maddie said...

After seeing some more of Obama's speech, reading Jordan's comment above, and talking to my mom about all of this, I would like to say that my opinions have changed. I thought it was great that the troops are supposedly going to be coming home and that we will be completely out of Iraq within a year, but now being realistic with the situation america is in I think that we should stay in Iraq. Obviously it would be fantastic if the troops could come home and the war would could end, but now we have gotten ourselves in too deep and to take our troops completely out of Iraq all at once, could end badly. If this had been 10 years ago or 9 years ago when the war was just starting it would be one thing, but its been about 10 years and the war still isn't over. We need to continue protecting our country until the war is over and we know america will be safe. if we pull out now it's like the last 10 years didn't matter.
-Alex Y.

- said...

I agree completely with Jordan and Alex but I also think there is more to it. I think taking our soldiers out of Iraq this quickly could make us appear weak as a country and thus, make us seem more vulnerable. I think if/when that happens, we're going to see what President Obama will do when he himself is in danger and even more importantly, our country. Will he send men to fight to defend us? Or hang back and ignore the attack in hopes of being "peaceful"? To me this is a scary thought because I know this could be possible - there are so many people out there who hate our country and the freedom it represents. Also, Karl Rove made a good point that although Obama did acknowledge our soldiers and thank them for their service, he quickly changed the focus from the war to focusing more on the economy, the economy that "survived a recession." ...Aren't we still in one?! Rove said, "it leaves the impression that Mr. Obama has little interest in being commander in chief, that his real passion is domestic issues." But back to the war, I think we are pulling out way too quickly from a country that has used our help for many years. Hopefully, everything will work out.
-Haley R

Alexis Richter said...

After watching the President's speech and reading both articles, I feel that President Obama is trying to convince us American's that he knows exactly what he wants to do. Sure, we all want the troops home because they have done the imaginable, but we all know that pulling out in only a year is a little unrealistic. And I think President Obama knows that. There is no set date that says when we should or shouldn't leave but obviously we have not finished what we have started, so why leave all at once? President Obama is in too much of a rush to change what the previous administration has done, because it is not to his likings. I agree with Karl Rove, he is too concerned with this debt we have accumulated throughout the war, but we have a huge deficit that Obama has worsened in a shorter amount of time. I agree that we need to leave, but the time is not appropiate becuase President Obama's motives for leaving are not strictly because of the war, he is focused too much on domestic issues.
-Alexis R.

Taryn said...

I definitely do agree with Haley's comment that taking our troops out will make us seem weak and vulnerable, but in another sense we have to think about what is right and also what is worth it. A strong question I'm considering is is there still huge threats out there that could attack us easily if we pull out of Iraq? That I don't know, but I think it is important for us to save as many lives as possible, and I believe that taking the troops out of Iraq is a smart decision for the most part because it seems as though we've done our job in helping the Iraqi's get back on their feet. Now I look at it as what is the point in staying there any longer and risking even more lives? If we don't know for sure that there are other threats and people who are going to attack us I don't think it's smart to stay in a place where lives are at risk and we're losing an incredible amount of money everyday.
-Taryn D

Mason.Reiter said...

After watching Obama address the nation in its entirety I noticed one thing in particular. As he is stating that yes there still might be terrorist attacks in Iraq, but the terrorists will not achieve their goal due to how Iraqis have rejected sectarian war. This might be true, but Obama goes on as if he is speaking for Iraq's nation and that he knows how they will react to bombings on their country or threats to their government. The simple fact that I am trying to get across is taking our troops out was a good thing. But with all good things there are negatives. Some of these negatives include what Haley and others have said about the U.S. as a nation seeming weak. Also they include the threat that all the work that we have done in Iraq might just go away in the next couple years, creating an even worse situation for the United States. I want to finish off by saying, Obama stated in his video in the beginning that we are taking all troops out of Iraq, but at the end he states that we are adding troops to Afghanistan. So as one war is ending, another one is continuing.
-Mason R.

Kendall Healy said...

After watching all of Obama's address to the Iraq war, I do believe that is about time that this was settled down. I feel like the war was a conflict that was internal in Iraq and we almost brought ourselves into it and then got stuck there. I am glad that we can start taking the attention that was on that war and put it into fixing our own problems like our economy. I didn't like how he was referring to the Iraqi people and saying things for them, i almost felt like he was putting words into his mouth... Maybe i am just imagine this though. Like others above have stated, I too am concerned about how quickly he is pulling out the troops. I thought it should have been more subtle so that nothing back fires on us. But i am glad that things are ending, I also hope that they are for the right intentions, (Obama promised that he would end the war when he was being elected and now he's doing right before the re election. coincidence?)

lizzie-sanders said...

In response to Obama's speech, I agree with most of the things he stated. I believe that George did the right thing by sending troops to Afghanistan subsequent to the 9/11 attack on our country. Bush was doing his job, protecting us as a nation from being in danger. If war was not the proper way to handle that scenario than what would a better tactic of been? Although I believe Bush did the right thing by sending troops to Afghanistan and then Iraq, I agree that Obama is correct in the fact that it is time for our troops to return back to their homeland. We have been in Iraq for 7 and a half years providing service for the Iraqi people and government. Although all of our help and hard work in Iraq has been affective there is only so much you can do to help, and after 7 and a half years I think we have provided all the help we could possibly provide. Now it is up to the Iraqis to live out the road we have helped pave for them. Although I do think it is important to be supportive to other countries in need America has problems of their own that need to be addressed. We need to start working out our own problems and stop trying to make other nations' problems our own.

Erin said...

The fact is that we have been in this war for a very long time. People our age, younger, and about a year or two older have lived most of their life with the United States in war. I don’t agree that we should get out of the war in Iraq. I feel that we are putting the people in this country in danger. Maybe the reason why so many people are afraid of getting out of war is because we have been in it so long. It may be time to let the Iraqis learn to live with order on their own. It does have a down side; we seem to be giving up too easily. This could turn into mass chaos here, by terrorists, or in Iraq. It is good for soldiers and their familes to reunite, but they did come to Iraq to fight and finish this war. Hopefully since we are slowly easing out of this war, it will make the Iraqis feel more at ease and hopefully not cause turmoil here or there. I do agree with Lexie about how the troops have done so much, but having the troops out in a year, just seems like an unrealistic goal.
Erin Dixon

Meghan Mitchell said...

I feel like Obama is just trying to please everyone and he is not thinking logically. The majority of his campaign was based off of the fact that he was going to “bring our troops home”. Honestly, I’m not a big fan of Obama in the first place but now I really question his intentions. How could anyone think it is okay to just get up and leave a place that has depended on us for ten years? The more time that has gone by the worse it has gotten for the people in Iraq; they are now co-dependent… with us. Also, I’m not sure if everyone else feels this way but I don’t feel safe at all! We did not defeat the enemy. America needs to finish what we started or we will eventually fall from our own stupidity. Think about it this way… Al Qaeda is out there right now planning to attack us again. I don’t want future Americans to get hurt because we decided it wasn’t a worthy fight anymore. All the soldiers that have died and all the people that died in the twin towers would probably spit on Obama right now. Leaving would offend the honor of all those people. American blood was spilt on American soil and from every history class I’ve taken, when that happens we don’t give up… we take down. Leaving Iraq would show that America has lost some of its strength. I really hope Mr. Obama rethinks his plan with leaving Iraq.

Teal C. said...

I agree with Meghan that Iraq is depended on us and we cant just all of the sudden leave. But bringing our troops home doesn't really help finding Al Qaeda and defeating the enemy. The fact that Obama is bringin troops home means more saved lives, which is a good thing. Yet it makes me feel unsafe that we dont have as much protection from Iraq than we did before. Since we've been there for so long Iraq will be furiated that our troops are just leaving them, which will cause chaos.

Caitlin Harrington said...

After much contemplation on the subject and watching part of his speech, I feel as if he is making the right decision by bringing the troops out of Iraq. Since the war started, most of America’s efforts have gone into the war. We spent most of our energy doing things involving the war and neglecting our responsibilities at home. The trillions of dollars used in the war could have been used for health care reform or could have possibly impacted the recession. By Obama bringing the troops home, he will in turn make the government focus more on what is going on inside America and try to solve those issues. On another level, I think that if we had let the United Nations to take care of the problems in Iraq, things would haven been radically different in a good way. I know that America went to war with Iraq in retaliation to 9/11, but if we would have taken a more diplomatic approach, things could have been resolved with less forceful and archaic tactics. We went in and forcefully took over the Iraqi government to change it into a system that the US approved of, instead of trying to steer the government in the right direction using new tactics of warfare. Even though the war changed the Iraqi government and made it a better place, I still think that the negatives outweigh the positives. The loss of troops, the debt, the problems at home, and the straining of foreign relationships are because of the war so by Obama taking out the troops, he is slowly starting to recognize those problems and eventually will work to get those problems fixed, which is definitely a good thing.

Kate M said...

After reading watching the video again and reading the article it is clear that Obama is doing what he feels is right and that is sticking to his promise. In his presidential campaign his promise that we would leave the war was very intriguing to many and most definitely helped him win the election. While Obama will be keeping his promise it still seems as though one year is very soon to be leaving the war. He should be careful not to become to comfortable with only pleasing the people and should carefully look at the larger picture. After all of the time we have spent Iraq it seems unrealistic to pull out our troops so quickly. However, I still feel as though it will be a step in the right direction to leave because the Iraqis need to learn how to support and take care of themselves. While it is vital for them to become more independent it is unfair of us to push them out in such a short amount of time.

Alix H said...

I believe that the decision to go into Iraq was a just one. At the time, we acted how I believe is correctly on the knowledge we had. Though this decision may be disputed for years to come, it is in the past, and what we must concentrate on is moving forward. At first, this decision came as a relief; no one wants war or violence. We do not want any more of our troops dying. After further contemplation, however, I realized that this puts us in a "Catch-22". The surrounding countries and Iraqis want us out. Extremists look at our involvement and use that as fuel to recruit. To many, it can appear as though we are meddling, so leaving seems like a good option. If we leave, it may appear as a surrender, however, and we may seem weak. Could this decision make us more vulnerable to attack, or would staying any longer aggravate the situation? I am also concerned that we are pulling out after Iraq's first credible election in years before a government is completely set up. Will extremists take advantage of our departure to tear this new born government apart? Finally, my last concern is that there is no specific plan for what our role will be if Iraq does fail as a state? Will we constantly be swooping in to save them? If we will be, then it makes sense to me to just stay there.

Henri Levy said...

I agree with Karl Rove's ideas about Obama. Iraq is the new vietnam and we are pulling out too early. Granted, I agree that we have been there a bit longer then expected but this is because of questionable military strategy. Also the trillion dollars spent on war was spent over 8 years, yet democrats readily give a trillion through stimulus before the middle of Obama's first term( an excellent point made by Mr. Rove).
Henri L.

Nathan G. said...

After watching Obama's speech i feel that he is just trying to make people happy. No matter what he does he is going to be criticized. I feel he is rushing a little bit by saying they will be back in the next year. We have been over there for 10 years so it seems like we should ease our way out instead of all coming out that fast. I feel leaving this fast could end up hurting a lot of the progress that we had made. I do think we need to leave soon but I'm not sure this is the right time to. Once we leave, they will realize how much they depended on us and they could have years of struggle to regain control of their country. We should leave but extend our one year plan into more of a 3-5 year plan.
- Nathan G.

Unknown said...

Hallie:
I think we have served as Iraq's backbone for too many years to pull out immediately, it needs to be over a span of time. I also think it is selfish of Iraq and unrealistic for us to stay this long, we have homeland problems to take care of and families want their soldiers home. I feel Obama has stated that our troops will be home in a year to bring comfort to those families and friends opposing the war, but in actuality he will do want it takes to secure the nation according to events as they occur and time as it passes.

Elianah Gorin said...

I agree with what Mason has said about Obama assuming that the Iraqi will reject sectarian war. He is speaking for them, and even though we have a representative there that doesn’t mean they will stick to these ideas. Hopefully the Iraqi nation will want to move forward, allowing Obama to be right in his efforts to remove troops to bring back home. As for the future of the Iraqi people I think we should be optimistic and believe that after a few years they will not through all the hard work and money sent there to waste. Hopefully they will thrive with the new government allowing us to focus on our selves at home and our protection here.
Elianah G.

Johne McMahon said...

After watching President Obama speech I think he may be rushing to pull out of Iraq too soon. I also think if we were to pull out at all we should ease out and not take so many troops out at one time. However I do give him credit for keeping to one of his promises that he made while he was running for president. The United States has been there too long and has lost to many lives to leave just yet and I just think its better to be safe then sorry, even if it hurts the United States finically. I agree with Haley’s comment also in the fact that America will appear weak to not only the enemy but to everyone else around the world. I’m sure everyone would love the troops to come home ASAP, but people still need to realize the enemy is still out there and America is still has a threat. I don’t think we should pull out until the job we went over there to complete is completely done and secured to last.

-Johne

Meggan Sher said...

After watching Obama give his speech, i feel that Obama is making a poor choice. He is rushing into taking out all of our troops. I agree with Hallie. We are pulling out way to early for how many years we have been there. Its making the people who die, look like they died for nothing. When and if the troops actually come back, they will be sent off to fight again, at a different war. We should just keep them where they are.

-Meggan S

Unknown said...

In his address, President Obama announces the end of the combat mission in Iraq. And I, Aaron Dean, agree with his decision to end that mission. I feel that the United States must remove their proactive military force and replace it with a reactive and supportive force, and that just because the United States' combat mission is over, doesn't mean that their commitment to Iraq's future is as well. To ensure the betterment of Iraq's future, transitional forces should be implemented with a different mission, not of domination and violence as in the past, but of advising and assisting the Iraqi government and people through training and support. I feel that the problems within the Iraqi borders, can ultimately be resolved by Iraq's own actions and that the United States cannot accomplish this for them. The only thing the United States can do to help them, is assist them.

Caitlin C. said...

I completely agree with Meghan, I am not the biggest fan. Obama seems to have no idea over the subject of his speech. He jumps from talking about the war, to economy and then the duty of Americans. That is just fine, but if you are going to portray the address as "The End of the Combat Mission in Iraq", then maybe it should solely be about the war in Iraq. Also, I believe that Mr. Obama is a people pleaser, that he just says different things to please the public and gain support. I truly believe that he does not have any idea where he stands or what his final plans are. For example: In his speech he not only jumps around from different topics, but he tries to please all the different opinions of the country. He talks about ending the war, and getting all of the troops out of Iraq in a year. While later in his speech, he adds that the United States will be helping Iraq with rebuilding their country by support with advisors. I do not agree with the statement talking about the Iraqi people. He is speaking for them; like Barack Obama has any idea what those people think. He tries to convince the public that his choice (for removing troops and ending the war) is correct by using his assumptions as proof. I do not feel safe under Obama when all he does is say things to please Americans and gain popularity throughout the world. This will eventually lead to him making some stupid mistake while trying to keep himself loved. The people pleaser that he is will cause our country a lot of problems sometime in the future.

Caitlin Colvin

kinsey budagher said...

To say that President Obama is making a mistake by removing the troops from Iraq is impossible to say. Whether the war is right and a just cause is a matter of opinion. Nothing in this world is black and white. As president, Obama's job is to reassure our nation that we are safe and protected. It is with that statement that I can easily say that Obama's words are "sugar coated". He begins by telling the world he is taking out the troops from Iraq which is quite possibly consequently where many people will stop listening. He proceeds to tell us, in later sentences; that he is leaving some 10,000 troops in Iraq. Americans are Americans, whether they are decorated with badges from the army or papers from their learnedness; no American is going to be liked by terrorist groups in Iraq. I have to question the safety of the men and/or women being left without much protection in Iraq.
In addition to questioning the safety of the men and women being left in Iraq, I begin to question the safety of all Americans. Pulling away from this war shows signs of weakness which can only encourage terrorist groups to turn the war on America and maybe next time bring the war to the states.
The biggest thought going through my mind dates back to the holocaust. Most Americans shame themselves for becoming involved in the World War II so late and allowing massacre to happen right in front of their eyes. Americans are people known for stepping in and helping other countries. So I ask myself, how is this situation with terrorism going on in these Middle Eastern countries any different from the holocaust? How many people must die before Americans see a just cause for war? This may not have been our war originally, but it became our war on 9/11 when terrorism reached our boundaries. Just like Pearl Harbor pulled America into action so many years ago, 9/11 did too. Americans often forget what we are there fighting for. Times have changed and battles aren't fought in the same ways, today war is not only about who the stronger man is; but also who is the more educated man. Americans are the more educated in this situation, therefore I believe it to be a just cause to remain in Iraq to continue fighting for them to have the same government that has proven useful to Americans.
The war in Iraq is not over, and Obama knows that.
-Kinsey B

Eric Edwards said...

I have to agree with Kinsey's post 100%. I believe that the Iraq War will never really be "over." I do think that President Obama is making a good choice in bringing our troops home, but at the same time, it could also be a bad choice. Bringing our troops home has been a priority for a few years now, and I think that it's about time to follow up with that plan. Yet, bringing ALL of our troops home could leave the Iraqi people in the same position that they were in in the beginning. Our troops are providing safety for the people and also providing some sort of stability for the country. When we leave, who has the power? It surely doesn't lie in the people's hands. The country will just go into chaos, not knowing what to do since they've depended on us for so long. So at the same time, I have to disagree with Obama's decision to pull our troops out. As Kinsey said "The war in Iraqis not over."

-Eric E

Alanna M. said...

After looking at the speech and as well as looking at the comments of my peers. I feel as if we all have made valid points. I feel this happens to be a very controversial topic because both sides have good points. I agree with Kinsey’s statement about the war not being completely over. I feel the war won’t be completely over till EVERY soldier is out of Iraq and home safely with their families. While reading the comments of other peers (Jordan and Alex), I feel very indecisive about the decision to take troops from Iraq. On one hand I feel as if it is time for the troops to come home and that we should leave the government decisions of Iraq to the people of Iraq, on the other hand I feel that our country’s safety is at great risk because we will seem vulnerable. I really hope that Obama has a well thought out plan for getting the troops safely out of Iraq while also insuring the safety of the American people.
-Alanna M.

Asante said...

This subject is one that has brought up much controversy and in my opinion, There are more than one ways to look at this subject. What Meghan M. said makes complete sense to me and I could see why taking the troops out of Iraq could be a problem. Some questions arose in our class that asked if we should be focused on Iraq so much as to put the majority of troops over there and not in other places of need such as Africa. My answer to that question is yes, we should put all of our immediate attention towards Iraq. The reason being is that Iraq poses a higher threat to our country by possessing weapons of mass destruction and having the power to potentially harm our country. Even though we found that Saddam Hussein was nowhere near harming our country like he was implying, we wouldn’t have known that until we sent the troops. I also agree with Kendall H. in that Obama might be pulling the troops out too fast. I think it’s a good idea to be bringing our troops home for the sake of families being brought back together but then again, why did they sign up for the job in the first place? To serve and protect our country, and quite frankly, there won’t be much protecting if they are not in a position of control over the enemy country. Slow and steady wins the race and I believe that Obama should use this tactic in pulling the troops out of Iraq.

-Asante W.

Pacman said...

I agree with Karl Rove's ideas about Obama. Although the war has been going on for a long time now possibly more than we would have liked or wanted Karl Rove makes a great point how this “time to turn the page” line does not do the war justice. There are still many things to be accomplished over in Iraq, we have been helping them for a long time but it doesn’t mean we have pull out immediately and end it all. I believe that we should leave at least some of the troops there to maintain that “military” dominance over in Iraq and it doesn’t mean we have to keep helping them by now they are able to function on their own; but we always can be there for any kind of support and to show we aren’t going to just give up and put all of our work to waste, in a matter of one year. And finally as Karl Rove makes another great point how “Obama has ownership of both wars; it's part of his job description. He will share in the wars' success or be blamed if they are lost. And he will have a better chance of succeeding if our friends and enemies sense resolve, rather than weariness.” This just shows we don’t need to be turning the page right away but to complete our work in Iraq.
-Tanner Pochmann

Bri Sharp said...

I agree with the fact that we shouldn't leave Iraq so quickly because we've been there for so long. Taking away so many troops at one time is a risky thing to do because that gives us less protection since our troops are watching what people are doing in Iraq. However, bringing many troops home is a good thing for the troops and also a good thing for our country because we can finally just focus on our country's issues and nothing else. By leaving, the Iraqis finally get to experience supporting themselves on their own. However, Obama should take things slower since we've been in Iraq for so long.
-Bri

Chris Nittolo said...

In my opinion taking the troops out of Iraq is doing the United states more harm than anything. I agree with Bri about the act that the move he is making is very risky risking some American safety. But, I think its a terrible decision because we went there with a purpose and to leave without finishing the job makes us look very weak. It also makes us look weak as if we lost a fight and maybe takes some credibility away from the strength of our country in the future.

ABBY said...

Yes, I agree that the United States of America had to respond to the terrorist attack in order to keep its stature of a powerful country and keep American civilians protected. However, over the course of the years the fighting in Iraq has been for a change of government and guiding them through a process to create a democratic form of government. I’m glad that our troops are coming back home after being on duty for about a decade. I however, think that there were alternative methods of aiding Iraq to set up a new form of government instead of utilizing warfare and the killing of civilians. For example, modern techniques of mentoring and educating the civilians about developing a government and the process they have to go in order for a new form of government to be successful.
Abby G.

Katherine Diamond said...

After reading the comments above i have to agree with the people who said that Obama is pulling us out to quickly. We have been in Iraq for years fighting against them, and to immediately pull out all of the soldiers makes me afraid that the people of Iraq may revolt and not listen to the few American's staying and helping Iraq get there government on the right track. I also agree with Megan that the people coming back will not be back for like they will be sent out into another war before the can comfortable being back, they should just keep them there to make sure helping the out the people of Iraq with their government go smoothly. Also i believe some American's should live in Iraq and serve in the government to help out and make sure that another terrorist attack does not happen.
Katherine D.

Unknown said...

After watching President Obama's speech, I believe that he is attempting to show the people the sincerity of his word, and the swiftness of his action. While I am not entirely convinced that the troops will be fully removed in one year's time I do believe that there will be a real attempt to withdraw them. But my real question is this: why was it solely the responsibility of the American government and armed forces to recreate a government in Iraq? I firmly believe that when this war became centered around creating a new government in Iraq, that United Nations should have been involved. I'm convinced that if it had been a worldwide effort, this new government would've come along faster, and with less casualties.
Arin McGovern

Abby Winslow said...

After listening to Obama's speech, I believe that it is unrealistic to take our country out of the war in Iraq over the span of a year. Although having the beloved family members serving in the war home would be ideal, I do not believe that it is smart, or the right thing to do, to pull out of a war so quickly when we have been a part of it for such a long time. I think that if Americans leave Iraq after being there for so long that chaos will arise among the people over there since they have learned to depend on us. I feel that Obama is making this far-fetched promise in order to please the people who supported him when he pitched this idea of his in a former speech. I believe that Americans have spent too much time and have lost too many lives to pull out of Iraq this soon.

Andrew V said...
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Dallas Alderton said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Andrew V said...

I agree with Barrack Obama's view 110%, in fact I actually think we should of pulled out of this war a long time ago. I think it is great that Barrack Obama is sticking by his views that got him elected as president of the United States. Plus this is America, not Iraq why should we have intrevined if they turned out to be of no threat to us, i believe this was a war created by a bunch of corrupt conservetives who saw this as an opportunity to take oil from the oil-rich gulf. They were able to pull this off by using post 9/11 hysterica to convince the American public to send our troops to Iraq. I also disagree with Meghan's statement that this is a slap in the face to those who died in Twin Towers on September 11th, because Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 in the 1st place it was a terroist organization named Al-Queda which was located in Afghanistan... 9/11 had nothing to do with Iraq. I think it was due time that we ended a war that never should of occured. This war ended 7 and a half years to late....

-Andrew Velvin

Dallas Alderton said...

I don't totally agree with Obama's decision to pull out of Iraq. Yeah, it has been a very long time since they have been home and we need to stop all of the people we are putting at risk over seas but we need to know for sure that we will not have to worry about this later. With our troops still in Iraq we know almost everything they are doing and with no one there we have no clue, for all we know they could start another plot to attack us again. I think we should still have our troops over there to know EVERYTHING that they are doing.

Dallas A.

Chris said...

after watching president Obama's speech i believe that he is trying to do the right thing for our country. i think that if we pull the troops out of iraq so fast that the Iraqis aren't going to be able to defend themselves. i think as soon as we leave mass chaos is going to bust out over there. because we have been there for so long they are very dependent on us for protection and order. i don't think going over there in the first place was completely unnecessary but staying this long is.
-CHRIS KENNARD

Holly Williams said...

Personally, I think Obama is doing us good by pulling out the troops in Iraq. I believe this war has gone on long enough and the troops are no longer necessary over-seas in order to keep peace within another country. It's time for Iraq to step up and show us that they can hold their own democracy within their own country even if we may not see the results for many years to come. This is why I agree with Caitlin Harrington's post about how this war took away our nation's focus on our own problems and we could have used that focus into, like what Caitlin mentioned, helping our healthcare. I don't know how the United Nations would have helped any better than we have been trying but I still agree with much of Caitlin's statements about how the negatives outweigh the positives in that the country could have saved extreme amounts of money put into this war for our own benefits.
-Holly W

Haley said...

After President Obama's speech it made me optomistic that the government is moving along. The United States is such a powerful nation that can easily influence other smaller nations and we have done this in Iraq. The war there was a positive, making and helping them set up their own government and able to run a democracy of their own. In Obama's speech the plan they have set up seems to be able to work out well, to filter out the troops not all at once to maintain stability and let Iraq essentially "get on their own feet".
----Haley M

Blake said...

After watching Obama’s video and responses from the Republican Party I came to the conclusion that I support the exiting from Iraq. I agree with Kendall in the sense that Obama may be putting words in the Iraqi’s mouths, but for that very reason I support the end of the war. When the U.S. and world learns that intervention into other nations using conventional warfare in my opinion is not successful then I may support intervention into other nations. Personally I belief soft power or the U.s and global power’s ability to lead the world is dependent on diplomacy and successful modeling of what it means to be a democracy. I believe while the U.S. needs to fight small scale battles against terrorist to identify the nation of Iraq as terrorist filled is simple not true. While reading up on this topic I learned that few individuals are associated with terrorist regimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen. This means that the U.S’s best hope of fighting terrorism is to fight it on a small scale basis and then to use soft power to allow other nations to become democracies. While I agree that democracy is great and necessary for the United States, it is difficult to impose values unique to the western world on nonwestern societies. I am happy for the time being that U.S. troops are coming home from Iraq

Unknown said...

I agree with President Obama's decision to remove the troops from Iraq at this point in time. I did however agree that we were right when we first sent the troops into Iraq; It is our responsibility as the most powerful nation with abundant resources to maintain peace within other countries that are in dire need. America is the greatest world power, but in our current economic state it is best that we remove our troops from Iraq.

george said...

President Obama made a good decision by pulling the troops out of Iraq. The Unites States doesnt have the time and money at the moment to fund overseas war and work on fixing other countries governments. Bush many years ago did the right thing by starting the war, because of the threat that they had on the United States; the economy was better back in those days, and it is no longer doing as well. overall i believe Obama made a wise decision to remove the troops from Iraq.

mark said...

I believe that Obama is making the right choice by pulling the troops out of Iraq. However, I agree with what a lot of people have said about how one year to get all the troops out is too fast. I believe the war was not as successful as many people would have liked it to be. However, we're not pulling out ALL of our troops. We're leaving 10,000 troops stationed in Iraq even after the rest of the troops have been brought back home. These troops will be there to help maintain stability in the new society we IMPOSED upon the Iraqis (which i believe was a bad decision to make) and help advise Iraqis. Seeing how unsuccessful the war was, staying in Iraq for any longer would show ignorance to the fact that we will probably never win the war. So i say that pulling out does NOT show weakness, as Meghan had stated above. I do think however that 10000 troops is not enough to maintain stability in iraq. Overall though i think we're doing the right thing by pulling out of the war. We're losing lives that needn't be lost. AMERICA.

Henri, i'd like to say that when we spent a trillion dollars funding the war, and then the democrats put out a trillion dollars for stimulus, it was because of the war and many other things that republicans did during Bush's reign that got us in the hole that we're in now.

SarahAllegro said...

Sarah Allegro:

I feel like the troops are coming home too quickly, the American Troops basically took over the country, and now Obama expects the Iraqi's to be able to think for themselves. We need to evacuate gradually instead of all at once, and even when the troops do come home, they will be sent out in a quick six months or so to fight for something else Obama wants them to.

Haley B. said...

I think that the idea of the troops coming home from Iraq is great, who wouldn't want to pull soldiers out of dangerous territory. But at the same time is it really logical to take out a strong military force that Iraq has been depending on for years. I like that Obama has made a plan to keep some presence in Iraq but I think that the pulling out of troops should be a little less sudden. I personally do not agree with much that Obama has done during his presidency, he is just now finally addressing one of the most major changes that he promised his voters. At not a good time either. Right now most Americans are worried more about the economy, the economy effects everyone, even soldiers and their families. Some soldiers would not be in the military if it wasn't for the recession causing them, or their family memebers, to be laid off giving them no other option but to join the military.

Haley B.

Addie A. said...

Okay I'm not on any political side at all but here it goes. This is a mess (obviously) but we do need to get out. I know that we've been there for a long time and they would probably be a mess without us, but they need to figure it out on their own now. We've done what we can and now we need to move on. When we leave there will be a few things to occur: 1) leaving & causing total chaos, 2) showing weakness 3) staying there and not letting the people in Iraq figure things out for themselves. Either way it doesn't look that good for us. But even if it does look bad it would be great to have troops home to deal with that chaos at home. Is it possible for all of them to be back in a year? Probably not. Will Things change in that time? Maybe. But I do think it's time to come home. - Addie a

Anonymous said...

After reading the article and plenty of the comments above, I would have to say that I mostly disagree with Obama's decision to slowly take the troops out of Iraq. While I think that at one point in time, this would have been a great idea, the Iraqi people have probably become too dependent on our supervision. Maybe things will work themselves out over there, but I can't be sure until I just see it first hand on TV or read about how the situation is going in Iraq.

-Ben Harden

Catherine G said...

I believe that the decision to take troops out of Iraq is essentialy a good thing. They have fought long and hard to serve their country. I feel like we might run into problems by removing them too quickly. We have been over there for a long time and have been helping the progression of the Iraq government, they have become used to our being there. I think it is necessary though to let them figure out things for themselves. I dont know it it was actually the best decision for us to be there in the first place but since we are already there it may be time to give the governement some room to develope on its own. I trust that the government has explored all situations and all consequences on this matter before making their decision. Only time can tell if this is infact the best one.

Cameron Casey said...

For this argument, I agree that moving the troops out of Iraq is for the best, despite the danger involved. However I believe that our withdrawel is much over due. Right now, the Iraq government seems relatively stable despite the extreemists fighting against them. We have been in Iraq long enough, now it is time for the Iraqi government to take hold of the rains. Although this war has generated much hate from foreign countries, I think that safety is in our favor for the future and that by pulling out, hate from other people towards America might possibly die down a little. In conclusion, I think that pulling out of Iraq is going to help us move forward as a country. Iraq was simply holding us back.

hayden said...

I believe that Obama's move to bring the troops home is a great plan, but in the way he is bringing them home I think is not so great. i think he should have broughtt them home in smaller groups so it wasnt going to be such a dramatic change. I also agree that it is time to hand over the government to the iraqis because it isnt really our decision to tell them otherwise. but in all i agre that pulling out of iraq is a good thing.

z-man said...

I believe that we should not dis involve ourselves in the Iraq conflict until our job in the area is done. We set out to rid the area of anarchistic insurgents, and failing to do so leaves the Iraqi government vulnerable to repeating what has happened in the past. There are reasons that certain nations have gone centuries under turmoil, and that is simply because they do not have the communal power to form a government and sustain themselves without the help of outside forces. (take a large portion of African countries, for example) Iraq is a nation that has a history of unsuccessfully self governing itself(Iraq has been in a near-constant internal struggle for the past 47 years) and until our involvement, democracy was not a considered option. So, logically, the possibility of Iraq regressing to a previous ungoverned state is a great possibility.

In response to Mark's financially-based comment: I strongly disagree with your statement, "it was because of the war and many other things that republicans did during Bush's reign that got us in the hole that we're in now." War has a history of boosting the economy of a nation. It was not the decisions and actions of the republicans that put us into this situation. It was a combination of previous spending history and a rapid dependence upon goods no longer created in America, and primarily made in Asia. Also, I have mixed feelings about the liberal spending that they've poured into the excuse of the failing market. Had they spent the money on small businesses and job opportunities for Americans, it would be a different story. Instead, they spent money on bailouts for big businesses, an altered health insurance system that could have, and should have, waited until a resurgence in the economy. In my opinion, the spendings of the liberals in the past two years has been as, if not less effective than the spending of the conservatives over the past eight years.
-Zander Mapes

Anonymous said...

I believe that President Obama's decision to withdraw from Iraq is a very poor one. I feel as though the withdraw is motivated because of Obama's promise to voters rather than a decision based upon what is best for our country and for Iraq. Yes, I understand that we need to now focus on repairing our own economy and address some of our own domestic issues, but can we not continue our support in Iraq at the same time? Possibly reduce but not eliminate our military presence in Iraq? I realize that I don't have all the answers, but I feel that I know enough about the situation to disagree with his decision. President Obama has brought about some radical changes in our country since he took office, I just hope that these changes don't affect the US negatively in the long run.

-Connor Fagin

Anonymous said...

I think that the Iraq war was a mistake to begin with, I think that we should have used more peaceful tactics, but with force to not seem vulnerable and weak. I also think that we should have figured out who exactly and what exactly we were going over for. In the past ten years the reasons for the war have constantly changed. I think it is important to get our troops out, but it is important to do so slowly, as to not act vulnerable or look as if we are giving up. Retreating slowly seems to be the only answer to having a peaceful and less risky retreat out of the war. I do support Obama and his efforts to end this war that should have ended long ago. I think what he said to the American people was a true honorable statement that our troops will come home, after almost ten years.

-Analisa Anastasi

Amber Stephens said...

I agree with President Obama's decision to remove the American troops in Iraq. Our soilders were fighting in a harsh war for far too long than they needed to. It seems to me that the war had become a war for the fact of just "war", rather than our initial duty to prevent Alckida. However, his speech makes me feel like the government is thinking more optimistic than they should be. I believe that Obama does the right thing by acknowledging the soldiers that have fought for our country, but he lacks to say that we will continue to have problems with Iraq. I think our country can serve as a good example for others by Obama's decision to remove our troops - in this, we are able to head towards a goal of "peace".

-Amber S.

Matt Willis said...

Opinions on this very and no conclusion will ever satisfy everyone, because some people feel we never should've invaded, others that we should have removed troops earlier, and still other feel that the job is not done a,d we should remain in Iraq. I personally feel like if the President and his advisees feel they have made an informed decision and feel that all or nearly all the work we could possibly do has been done and or objective has been completed. One way to measure this is to wait a few years and see how Iraq turns out. We will judge our success based on the success of that nation and how it's government enforces its laws, as well as maintains peace and order. Overall we cannot really tell until we see the success of the nation.

Allie said...

I believe that president Obama's decision to withdraw the troops from Iraq is ideal, however, it is not realistic, nor is it the right time. I agree with Zander in that we set out to execute a job, and should not leave until that job is done, otherwise Iraq may be subjected to a repeat of the past, and we would not want all of our military service to go in vain. It seems to me that Obama's intentions for pulling the troops out are not so much in regards to the soldiers, but he is more concerned with confirming his original promise when elected that he would get the troops out of Iraq. I agree with Karl Rove when he says that Obama seems to be more concerned with domestic problems rather than foreign ones, and it is a little concerning that our reputation as the "leaders" could be dissolving under his presidency. I believe that if we want to affirm our powerful position, then we should not pull our troops out of the war yet. I'm not sure if going to Iraq was a good decision in the first place, but, now that we have started a job, we should see it through.

Moriah said...

I agree with many others opinion on the withdrawel of troops from Iraq and questioning wether it was the right time to do so. I agree with Matthew that we should have some confidence in the President that we elected and the governments decision in pulling out the troops. I really questin if our job is done in Iraq and if Obama is just pulling them out to fulfill his promise to the country. I have to wonder what would be the benefit of withdrawing the troops from Iraq.
- Moriah P.

Austin Miller said...

i cant say that i know much about the topic , but i believe that i know enough to make a valid point. I do think it is a good thing that Obama decided to take the troops out of Iraq for the safety of them and the comfort of there family. Yet i do not believe that it helps our country out very much as a whole. What is saying that they wont just do what they did before now that we are out of there. So i dont really think either side is right here and no matter what the decision made is , there is always going to be different views and opinions on it. Basically a lose, lose, but i do believe he is doing what he thinks is best for those who have served us for so long.
-Austin M.

Santiago Zapata said...

I don't believe that withdrawing troops from Iraq was a good idea, because i believe that the government is not jet ready to take care of it self. Extremist still have control over some areas of Iraq and i think they can easily corrupt the government, and set back the country to were it started. This would mean that many american soldiers lost their lives for a goal that was never achieved. If troops stay they will give the Iraq government a chance to grow stronger, therefor finishing the war as intended.

George Rodriguez said...

I agree with Santi Santi that Obama's decision to withdraw the troops is too quick. We can't let our guard down just yet. I don't think Obama is doing it for the troops by getting them out of the war. I strongly believe he is taking the troops out of Iraq just to save his behind. He said in his post elections that he would get the troops out of Iraq but now is not the right time. It would be great to have the troops back but he should still let them keep fighting awhile longer.

George R.

Will Noble said...

After watching Obamas speech, I believe that we are coming out of the Iraq war too early. There is still much to be done. Iraq is not able to with stand by itself against the growing threat of Al Kaeda without the help of America. Its good that Obama kept his promise of taking troops out of Iraq but there is still much to be done there and he should have taken care of business quicker and then taken them out of Iraq.

Shahrukh Lalani said...

I believe that removing our troops from Iraq was not the best thing to do. Although there are some positive things that come out from this, there are also negative thinks. I do not feel that Iraq is fully independent. It has been supported by America for so long that moving out this fast will just hurt them. Also this might trigger more attacks by Al Qaeda because they would think that America is weak.

Logan Weissler said...

I believe that we have been in iraq for too long. The recent
pullout is the right move as american troops have done all they can to improve the situation in iraq. We must now turn our focus to more pressing issues in afghanistn.

Max said...

I disagree with Logan. I feel like we still should be focused in Iraq, and we can still focus on other pressing issues. I feel like the pullout was not the best decision, but I still support the troops no matter what.