By John W. Lillpop
Historians seeking to answer that question objectively will need to sort out a bewildering dossier of contradictory statements from the man whom was elected to serve as the 44th President of the United States, but whom never quite managed the common sense, courage, or patriotism needed to answer that calling with any measure of effectiveness.
Scholars will note, for example, that in December, 2011, President Barack Obama staged a campaign visit to Fort Bragg, N.C., to “Welcome Home” military men and women from the battle fields of Iraq.
At this and other similar campaign events as documented in the References, President Obama:
* “Said the success of the United States in Iraq is “part of what makes us special as Americans.” The U.S. made sacrifices on behalf of Iraq, he added, “because it’s right.”
* Called the results of the war an extraordinary achievement. “Iraq is not a perfect place. It has many challenges ahead," said Obama. "But we are leaving behind a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq, with a representative government that was elected by its people.”
* Told the troops that he could not be prouder of them.
* Recognized the sacrifices of 30,000 Americans wounded in Iraq and the nearly 4,500 who died there while serving their nation.
Based on those narratives alone, one might reasonably conclude that Barack Obama was a fervent warrior in the war on terror, including the nine-year engagement in Iraq.
Digging deeper, however, scholars will discover that Obama was quite dismissive of the Iraq war:
President Barack Obama, as an Illinois state senator in 2002, said that using military force to topple a murderous dictator amounted to a “dumb war” and should be opposed.
The “dumb war” Obama was criticizing was the planned invasion of Iraq and the murderous dictator was its leader, Saddam Hussein. Obama, speaking at an anti-war rally in Chicago on Oct. 2, 2002 said that while Saddam was a brutal tyrant, that was not enough to justify using military force to remove him from power.”
So which is it, Mr. President? A great achievement when executed by your administration, a “dumb” war when executed by President George W. Bush?
To friends and loved ones of those injured and killed in Iraq, a special thank you from the American people. The sacrifices of those who served in Iraq are recognized as anything but “dumb!”
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Obama-to-Thank-Troops-for-Iraq-Service-135583073.html
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-2002-toppling-brutal-dictator-dumb-war
