Thursday, February 26, 2009

Obama pulling troops out of Iraq in 2010

Today president Obama informed congress that he plans on removing troops out of Iraq in 2010, 3 months past his expected 16 month removal plan. He will be leaving 35,000-50,000 troops on the ground in Iraq for support. All troops will be out of Iraq by December 31, 2011 due to an agreement former president Bush made with the Iraqi government.

It is about time somebody takes action on ending this war. I personally don't think it even matters if Obama is three months off of his expected removal date simply because he is actually taking the initiative to remove the troops AND giving us a set date, something I never saw Bush do (correct me if I am wrong as Bush might have given an exact date). I think there is a large difference between giving an approximate time to remove our troops and giving an exact date, and it is better to be precise in my opinion.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wonderful. As much as I would like to see the end of war now, at least Obama is doing something in the form of timelines, which is more than what we got from the Bush administration. Remember two years ago, in 2007, when the Democratic majority was trying like anything to require withdrawal timelines and tie them to the budget, and the president wouldn't let it go through without a veto? Harry Reid's "the rubber stamp days are over" didn't last very long then. So although it may not be anywhere near as fast as I or others would like, I am at least thrilled that he has a withdrawal plan going into motion, and as long as he doesn't start pushing it further and further back, I'm very satisfied.

And yes, that's my "former Peace Club President" side talking, loud and clear.

Elijah Merchan said...

Yeah, timelines are very crucial. Even if he cannot have an EXACT date, setting them up looks very good. It shows he is organized and ready to take our issues head-on. I have been very satisfied so far with Obama, and I have been especially blown away by his determined character. I am hoping for a good 4 years from him.

Kate Lin said...

I'm glad Obama has finally announced a formal plan too. Some people may criticize him for being 3 months late, but those are the people who (in my opinion) would criticize him for anything. It's a big step, and I'm glad it's finally ending. Hopefully he follows through on the plan and hopefully all goes smoothly!

sam & jo said...

I agree. In regards to the war, an actual date on when troops will be removed is a large step forwards for us. By 2011 we will have all our troops out, which is really exciting. This war has dragged on for too long and I admire Obama for taking initiative, even if its a little past what he said orginially.