IF AMERICA IS LEAVING IRAQ, THEN LEAVE

Your Commander long ago learned to consider ever politician’s statements with skepticism and the recent action of President Barack Hussein Obama proves my point. As the President basked in the glory of his ‘victory lap’ appearance with the brave fighting men and women stationed at Ft. Brag, N.C., he skirted his many previous pronouncements against the American intervention into Iraq dating back to his opposition in 2002. He failed to also note his hesitancy to the troop surge long promoted by the leaders of our Armed Forces on the scene, and now basks in the glory of fulfilling his campaign pledge to take American troops out of Iraq.

While your Commander agrees with the departure of American military from Iraq, we saved Iraq’s very existence from its evil dictator and there is little or no appreciation for what we did on their behalf. Let’s not go down the road about the lack of weapons of mass destruction either, because ask any Kurd in Iraq and they will tell you that they were the proven victims of Sadam Hussein’s WMD.

I am opposed to the timing of our departure, because Iraqis are not presently prepared to defend their country against intervention by foreign elements, such as Iran or the various tribal and religious sects. America is leaving just so Obama can meet his campaign promise to leave as he approaches a difficult re-election campaign.

Although defense troops will leave Iraq by the end of the year, it is time to stop fooling everyone because some 16,000 Americans will staff the bloated American Embassy in Baghdad with some 6,000 hires for private army security. The State Department has budgeted $25 billion for operations over the next 10 years. After reading that, do you really think we have left…and let’s not forget the forces that will sit in Kuwait for sometime in the future.

Obama is still leaving Americans, military or civil, in Iraq in harm’s way in a land whose leadership says they do not want our defense forces there. Our expense will still be great supporting our people still there where Iraq is concerned. Iraq has vast oil reserves and should not need American dollars to continue to pour into that country. It is time for Iraq to stand on its own two feet and pay for its governance with its oil reserves, and not our green-backs.

COMMANDER GRANGER