01 March 2009
Withdrawal from Iraq? Not So Fast.
12:55 PM |
Posted by
Brady |
Edit Post
As we approach the sixth anniversary of the Iraq War, the Obama Administration has revealed its plan to withdraw U.S. troops and end our combat mission by August 31, 2010. The President announced that 50,000 troops will remain in a support role until December 31, 2011. Democrats in Congress largely disapprove of President Obama's plan, while key Republicans such as John McCain (R-AZ) think the plan is fair. Regardless of the political response, the President's announcement illustrates an important reality for voters that may not appear obvious; regardless of the campaign promises and the political slogans, regardless of the unpopularity of the previous administration's policies, a president will almost always listen to his commanders on the ground and respond practically and realistically.
While it would seem like Obama the pragmatist has really changed course from his predecessor, recent history proves otherwise. President Bush, whom Obama had called previous to his announcement, struck a deal with the Iraqis for a phased withdrawal that would have removed most combat troops from Iraq a little later than 18 months. Having secured the presidency, Mr. Obama has extended his campaign promise for a withdrawal by two months and decided to keep 50,000 "support" troops in Iraq until the end of 2011. Yet, political rhetoric aside, these young men and women will be in combat, and they will continue to die in combat. The President's plan largely hinges on the Iraqi government's ability to maintain functioning schools, electricity and water facilities, and economic infrastructure.
There are currently 142,000 troops in Iraq. At the time of this writing, the Department of Defense has confirmed the deaths of 4,251 American soldiers there, with over 30,000 wounded. Most analysts project the Iraq War will cost the U.S. over $2 trillion in total. Admittedly, President Obama's plan is certainly a step in the right direction, but we should not be fooled by the politics that are ever-present in the speeches of our elected leaders.
Regardless of what the administration says, the United States will stay in Iraq or its neighborhood for the forseeable future, which will continue to cost us billions of dollars. The region is politically and militarily unstable and houses some of the most low-cost oil reserves. We have already had a major presence there for some 50 years.
The President has made some admirable proposals to address the domestic effects of the war. In his recent budget proposal, which aims to spend an almost unprecedented $3.6 trillion, he is seeking a 15% increase in veterans funding. The Department of Veterans Affairs has warned that if they are not adequately funded to care for our wounded warriors, we will see an increase in broken families, divorce, unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness, and preventable suicides. We have a moral obligation to our soldiers to prevent such catastrophes.
Another expenditure often over-looked is known as "reset" in the Pentagon, the reconditioning of military equipment worn down by operations in a combat zone. Many weapons and armor have been destroyed or deteriorated to the point that are ineffective. The Department of Defense will need millions of dollars to fix these weapons of war.
The government is already hardpressed to convince China to continue buying U.S. treasury bonds to fund our stimulus packages and war habits, and the President has already announced that most top-earning Americans will have to shoulder a heavier tax load. Ending the combat mission in Iraq will certainly help us alleviate our strained military and secure our economic futures. However, let us not forget that the President plans to escalate the number of troops in Afghanistan, which will add new strains. Hopefully, President Obama will continue to seek advice from his commanders, his advisers, and the American people to continue his effort to restore confidence in America at home and abroad.
While it would seem like Obama the pragmatist has really changed course from his predecessor, recent history proves otherwise. President Bush, whom Obama had called previous to his announcement, struck a deal with the Iraqis for a phased withdrawal that would have removed most combat troops from Iraq a little later than 18 months. Having secured the presidency, Mr. Obama has extended his campaign promise for a withdrawal by two months and decided to keep 50,000 "support" troops in Iraq until the end of 2011. Yet, political rhetoric aside, these young men and women will be in combat, and they will continue to die in combat. The President's plan largely hinges on the Iraqi government's ability to maintain functioning schools, electricity and water facilities, and economic infrastructure.
There are currently 142,000 troops in Iraq. At the time of this writing, the Department of Defense has confirmed the deaths of 4,251 American soldiers there, with over 30,000 wounded. Most analysts project the Iraq War will cost the U.S. over $2 trillion in total. Admittedly, President Obama's plan is certainly a step in the right direction, but we should not be fooled by the politics that are ever-present in the speeches of our elected leaders.
Regardless of what the administration says, the United States will stay in Iraq or its neighborhood for the forseeable future, which will continue to cost us billions of dollars. The region is politically and militarily unstable and houses some of the most low-cost oil reserves. We have already had a major presence there for some 50 years.
The President has made some admirable proposals to address the domestic effects of the war. In his recent budget proposal, which aims to spend an almost unprecedented $3.6 trillion, he is seeking a 15% increase in veterans funding. The Department of Veterans Affairs has warned that if they are not adequately funded to care for our wounded warriors, we will see an increase in broken families, divorce, unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness, and preventable suicides. We have a moral obligation to our soldiers to prevent such catastrophes.
Another expenditure often over-looked is known as "reset" in the Pentagon, the reconditioning of military equipment worn down by operations in a combat zone. Many weapons and armor have been destroyed or deteriorated to the point that are ineffective. The Department of Defense will need millions of dollars to fix these weapons of war.
The government is already hardpressed to convince China to continue buying U.S. treasury bonds to fund our stimulus packages and war habits, and the President has already announced that most top-earning Americans will have to shoulder a heavier tax load. Ending the combat mission in Iraq will certainly help us alleviate our strained military and secure our economic futures. However, let us not forget that the President plans to escalate the number of troops in Afghanistan, which will add new strains. Hopefully, President Obama will continue to seek advice from his commanders, his advisers, and the American people to continue his effort to restore confidence in America at home and abroad.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
CNN.com
About Me
- Brady
- I am a graduate of Boston University. I majored in political science and minored in history.
My Facebook
My Tweets
Blogroll
-
Between lacrosse and football, Jordan Faison does it all for Notre Dame - Playing two sports in college is nothing new, but Jordan Faison is making the lacrosse-football combo work.7 minutes ago
-
X-Men ‘97 didn’t have to go that hard - *The following article discusses spoilers for the first season of X-Men ‘97.* I was excited about the return of the ‘90s Saturday morning cartoon version...17 minutes ago
-
Cassie Photos Show Injuries at Film Premiere Days After Diddy Assault - Diddy's ex Cassie seemed to be sporting bodily injuries as they attended a glitzy L.A. film premiere just 2 days after his now-notorious 2016 beatdown of h...30 minutes ago
-
Bill Maher Dumbfounded At Republicans Showing Up To The Hush Money Trial ‘Dressed Like Trump’ - Bill Maher was dumbfounded by the fact that nearly a dozen Republican members of Congress showed up for the hush money trial "dressed like Trump." The pos...34 minutes ago
-
-
University of London Professor Loses Racial Discrimination Claim Over a Recommendation of a Local Sushi Restaurant - Professor Nana Sato-Rossberg at the University of London has lost a novel claim of racial discrimination against her superior, Provost…54 minutes ago
-
Trump Has Long Prized Certain Tactics. His Trial Has Highlighted Them. - The former president’s criminal trial has underscored what he values: loyalty, beauty, press coverage and using allies as bullies.1 hour ago
-
FBI warns of possible threats to LGBTQ+ events during Pride Month - Foreign terrorist organizations or their supporters might target LGBTQ-related events and venues as part of June's Pride Month, federal agencies warned i...1 hour ago
-
Palmer Luckey Says It's a 'Certainty' That Future AI Will Kill Innocent People - Palmer Luckey says it’s a “certainty” that artificial intelligence systems will kill innocent bystanders in wars of the future, according to a recent int...3 hours ago
-
Trade War: What Is It Good For? - Biden is playing with Trump’s deck of cards on trade. But tariffs aren’t a solution to everything.3 hours ago
-
Mission control is trying 'restlessly' to save a spacecraft to Mercury - A joint European and Japanese spacecraft bound for Mercury has encountered thrust problems that could jeopardize the future of the mission.4 hours ago
-
Onward Christian Soldiers - Photo Credit: RawPixel.com Deep in our hearts we know that we’re in serious trouble as a nation. Deep in our hearts -- atheist or otherwise -- we know ...10 hours ago
-
Fourth Circuit: Tax Exempt Status Is Not Federal Financial Assistance - A federal appeals court has rejected the claim that tax exemption under section 501 (c)(3) of the tax code amounts to “federal financial assistance” subjec...16 hours ago
-
The morning read for Friday, May 17 - [image: The morning read for Friday, May 17]Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles, commentary, and other noteworthy links related to the ...1 day ago
-
RIPOUT is due to exit Early Access - That VideoGame Blog RIPOUT is due to exit Early Access Horror fans are an interesting breed. I’ve never quite understood the urge to sit in The post RIP...1 day ago
-
OKC's Sam Presti is an overrated draft savant - Sam Presti is the only NBA executive ever to draft three future MVPs and he did it in three consecutive drafts. It’s a maniacal stroke of luck and an exe...2 months ago
-
What Americans Think Of The Biden Impeachment Inquiry - Welcome to Pollapalooza, our weekly-ish polling roundup. It’s officially impeachment season again. On Tuesday, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy announc...8 months ago
-
'-30-': An Ending, But Not the End, by Michelle Malkin - When I first started writing newspaper editorials and columns for the Los Angeles Daily News in November 1992, I learned that "-30-" (pronounced "dash thir...1 year ago
-
Bop Shop: Songs From Doechii, Sunmi, The Beths, And More - This week's Bop Shop includes a mix of songs by Doechii, Sunmi, Chung Ha, Broadside, The Beths, and more.1 year ago
-
Hocus Pocus 2 Resurrects The Sanderson Sisters For A New Generation - The Sanderson sisters are back for revenge! Watch the spooky teaser trailer for 'Hocus Pocus 2.'1 year ago
-
Listen to This: The Race To Ban Abortion - A new episode of The Josh Marshall Podcast is live! This week, Kate and guest host Nicole Lafond discuss the...2 years ago
-
-
Call for Papers: Fourth Annual Regional Health Law Works-in-Progress Retreat - Seton Hall Law School’s Center for Health & Pharmaceutical Law & Policy is pleased to announce the Fourth Annual Regional Health Law Works-in-Progress Retr...4 years ago
-
Dem Rep Speier: School Shooting Focus on Mental Illness ‘Fundamentally Ignorant’ - [image: Mass Shooters] Democrat Congresswoman calls focusing on mental health to help stop school shootings as "fundamentally ignorant."6 years ago
-
President Donald J. Trump's Year of Regulatory Reform and Environmental Protection at the EPA - *“We’re ending intrusive EPA regulations that kill jobs, hurt family farmers and ranchers, and raise the price of energy so quickly and so substantially....6 years ago
-
-
-
Facebook post – UK’s Prime Minister Theresa May – about Nice - “I am shocked and saddened by the horrifying attack in Nice last night. Our hearts go out to the French people and to all those who’ve lost loved ones or b...7 years ago
-
Breaking Down Barriers in Sexual and Reproductive Health Reporting in Africa - *This is a guest post by Humphrey Nabimanya, founder of Reach a Hand Uganda. * [image: 2016-04-15-1460736651-1435623-huffpo1.jpg]*Journalists and bloggers...8 years ago
-
Mom Has Stacked Dinner Party Roster - GOLDEN, CO—Their eyes widening in amazement as the 43-year-old rattled off the names of heavy hitter after heavy hitter, impressed members of the Dreesh...8 years ago
-
Republicans are a lot closer to ‘maybe Trump’ than ‘never Trump’ - [image: Republicans are a lot closer to 'maybe Trump' than 'never Trump'] The goal of the nebulous, sort-of-a-thing "never Trump" campaign is to do whate...8 years ago
-
The search for the best middle-class tax cut - Say you want to help struggling middle-class families by cutting their taxes. Say you want to figure out an actually helpful plan to do that, and not just ...8 years ago
-
It Is Accomplished - As Gandhi never quite said, First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they attack you. Then you win. I remember one of the first TV debates I had...8 years ago
-
The Greatest eBay Sales Pitches Ever - At the outset let me point out that there’s very little I can add to either of these authentic stream-of-conciousness sagas of Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews,...10 years ago
-
MB4 – “You Can’t See Me” - Marshall Brennan releases his first visuals to his “ButtonUp Music” & “Sky Living” campaign as he pumps out some lyrical heat with “You Can’t See Me.” Pro...12 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-