Moments ago, while speaking at Camp Lejeune, N.C., Barack Obama announced that on “Aug. 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end.” He further said that by that date in 2011 all troops will be gone from this troubled nation.
Such a pronouncement only gives encouragement to those who seek to continue to destabilize an already shaky nation and region of the world. All they need do is wait out the departure of American servicemen and women who have served so admirably prior to renewing their acts of terror and carnage. While former President Bush’s “mission accomplished” was premature, so too is Obama’s announcement to let our strategy be known to our enemies.
Many United States military troops who have sacrificed so much to diminish the threat of insurgence, know first hand that the job is not yet complete. Yes, such an announcement could only have been made possible thanks to the success of Central Command Chief General David Petraeus, his strategy, and the surge itself. But, to announce a date certain of withdrawal is akin to surrender and could ultimately jeopardize the safety of the American men and women on the job in Iraq.
To end American military involvement in Iraq is one thing, but to announce the date raises a white flag and is analogous to telling thieves when one’s house will be empty as its occupants take a vacation. Prolonging American involvement in Iraq serves little benefit when its own people should have stepped up some time ago; however, it’s the so-called strategy that is debatable.
– Column by Sanford D. Horn
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