Latest News Update: Obama Speech on Iraq War Also Turns to Financial Problems, Draws GOP Fire

(BBC News Blog) President Obama’s Oval Office address Tuesday evening was timed to mark the end from the U.S. combat mission in Iraq, even though it also came two months just before midterm congressional elections that could hinge on the state with the domestic economy — and Obama didn’t shy from drawing links and contrasts in between the two.

Obama portrayed the end with the U.S. combat role within the Iraq as an possibility to shift much more focus to rebuilding the economy, which some economists say is increasingly in danger of falling back into a recession.

“We have spent a trillion bucks at war, frequently financed by borrowing from overseas. This, in turn, has short-changed investments in our personal folks, and contributed to record deficits,” he mentioned, adding that as well numerous middle-class families are functioning harder for much less.

The troops in Iraq “have met each and every test that they faced,” Obama stated. “Now, it’s our turn. Now, it can be our responsibility to honor them by coming together, all of us, and functioning to secure the dream that a lot of generations have fought for — the dream that a much better life awaits any person who’s willing to function for it and reach for it”.

But Republicans refused to enable Obama to move on with out noting the credit score they say was as a result of President Bush for your troop surge in 2007 that ultimately saved a losing war effort. Even though Obama had opposed the surge as a senator, Republican leaders mentioned he must have given Bush kudos for its achievement.

John McCain, the Republican senator who ran against Obama within the 2008 presidential election, referred to as it “a actual lack of generosity of spirit.”

“What he must have mentioned: ‘I opposed the surge. I was wrong. I produced a mistake and George W. Bush deserves credit score for performing some thing that was extremely unpopular at the time,’” McCain told Fox News. “Instead he had to say it is well recognized that George Bush loves the troops.”

Obama saluted Bush’s commitment to U.S. troops and U.S. security. And he cited the surge in Iraq within the exact same breath as his personal troop buildup in Afghanistan, even though he parted from Bush’s reluctance to set a timetable. Obama repeates his call for a July 2011 drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas stated Obama “is correct to honor our troops who helped turn the tide of violence in Iraq in the course of its darkest days.”

“But it is puzzling to listen to this White Home make an effort to take credit rating for that outcomes with the technique he and Vice President Biden adamantly opposed from the commence,” Cornyn stated inside a composed statement.

“Our accomplishment in Iraq has every thing to perform using the tough operate of our men and women in uniform, the Iraqi individuals, and President Bush’s resolve. It has nothing to perform with President Obama’s campaign promise to carry out the previous administration’s plan for returning US troops from Iraq.”

Some Democrats, meanwhile, joined Obama in seizing the chance to pivot to financial concerns.

“The expense of our military operation in Iraq — a lot more than $700 billion to date — continues to plunge us deeper into debt,” Sen. Russ Feindgold of Wisconsin stated in the composed statement. “We can assist get our fiscal home in order by ending our military involvement in Iraq. Delaying our final troop redeployments for an additional year will add tens of billions much more bucks to our massive debt.”

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