First, I'll believe we've actually made 'progress' in Iraq when a President can make an 'announced' visit. The fact that our great leaders have to sneak in and out of the country, even with their massive security details that can otherwise hold back tens of thousands of evil protesters, does not leave one impressed by the level of security in Iraq.
Then there's this lead to the Reuters piece ...
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama made an unannounced visit to Baghdad Tuesday, marking a new chapter in his strategy to wind down the unpopular war in Iraq and shift the United States' military focus to Afghanistan.
Really? How on earth does this mark 'a new chapter' in his winding down the war?
What's hilarious is watching Obama do exactly the same thing Bush used to do, but now its trumpeted as a 'new strategy' to wind down the war.
This is true not only for these furtive trips to Iraq for photo opportunities, but for the policy in general. Remember, it was always Bush's announced policy that the full level of troops would only stay in Iraq for six months to a year, and then start to withdraw. The catch was, we never got to the withdrawal part. There would always be some new reason why the withdrawal couldn't begin, and the troops would have to stay another six months to a year before the withdrawal can begin.
Obama's big new strategy for 'winding down the war in Iraq' is to keep the current levels of troops for the next year, and then start a slow withdrawal that will take two more years after that. Sound familiar?
What's hilarious is watching Obama do exactly the same thing Bush used to do, but now its trumpeted as a 'new strategy' to wind down the war.
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