Woah!… Obama finally admitted that Iraq is stabilizing and that the surge he consistently opposed is working!
The reality on the ground in Iraq is much different than what we are hearing in the media. The US is on the brink of winning the Iraq War, Al-Qaeda is defeated, and the government has reached 15 of the 18 benchmarks.
So it was bound to happen…
Obama squirmed when he was asked about the success of the surge in the past, but today he could deny it no longer.
Obama admitted the Bush Surge is working:
(55 seconds)
Today, Obama finally admitted to the great success of the Bush Surge:
“If current trends continue and we were in a position where we continue to see reductions in violence and stabilization and continue to see some improvements on the part of the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi police, then my hope could be that we could draw down in a deliberate fashion in consultation with the Iraqi government at a pace that is determined in consultation with General Petraeus and the other commanders on the ground.”
This is a far cry from what Obama said about the surge last year:
“We cannot impose a military solution on what has effectively become a civil war. And until we acknowledge that reality, uh, we can send 15,000 more troops; 20,000 more troops; 30,000 more troops. Uh, I don’t know any, uh, expert on the region or any military officer that I’ve spoken to, uh, privately that believes that that is gonna make a substantial difference on the situation on the ground.”
** The Military Times has more on Obama’s latest positions on Iraq.
Today’s interview is a far cry from his promises to retreat.
Just last year Obama wanted America to be confident that he would be the one to end this war in Iraq:
This was Obama’s platform throughout the primaries.
But, now Obama is finally admitting the Bush surge is working.
Halleluiah!
Babalu has more on Obama’s newest spin term- “residual forces.”
And, The Campaign Spot has more on his ever evolving positions on Iraq from his interview today.
Hat Tip B. Nelson
