Sen. Marco Rubio on U.S. Troop Withdrawal From Iraq

President Obama recently announced that all U.S. Troops will be coming home from Iraq in time for Christmas this year. What a wonderful holiday gift for the thousands of families and loved ones who have endured the hardships of having a relative/spouse/mother/father/ brother/sister facing the perils of war in Iraq. In President Obama’s statement about the troops coming home from Iraq, he said:

“I can report that, as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year,” Obama said. “After nearly nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over.”

As many have reported, President Obama did not, however state the actual reason for the troops coming home and instead chose to promote this as a “promise kept.”  The real reason for the complete troop withdrawal is found in the fact that the Iraqi interim government refused to allow thousands of U.S troops to remain in Iraq beyond 2011 during intense negotiations over a period of several months. There is another fact that the President “forgot to mention” and that is the fact that all troops were mandated to withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011 in the original agreement struck between the two countries under President G.W. Bush back in 2008. The Iraqi interim government decided to abide with that agreement instead of  allowing several thousand U.S. troops to remain in Iraq, as requested by the Obama administration.   Does anyone remember that, back in August of 2010,  President Obama made the following statement?

Over the next two months our troops in Iraq, tens of thousands of them, will pack up their gear and board convoys for the journey home,” Obama said. “The last American soldier will cross the border out of Iraq with their heads held high, proud of their success and knowing that the American people stand united in our support for our troops.”  That statement was made  well over a year ago.

Senator Marco Rubio replied to the President’s speech in a strongly worded fact-filled statement:

Marco Rubio released a statement following President Obama’s announcement that all U.S. troops would be withdrawn from Iraq by the year’s end. Read an excerpt below and the full statement here .

“The surge in Iraq ordered by President Bush and implemented by General David Petraeus, which began in 2007 over the objections of nearly every elected Democrat including then-Senators Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton, brought security and stability to Iraq.  This success enabled the Iraqi government to focus on training and equipping their own forces so that they could take the lead in providing the security for their own country.  The competence, bravery and sacrifices made on the part of the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces working with their Iraqi partners have enabled this transition.”

Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and nearly every other Democrat in Congress in 2007, during the debate about the surge in Iraq ordered by the President of the United States at the time, G.W. Bush… now want to somehow take credit for it’s success and the G.W. Bush-signed complete U.S. troop withdrawal agreement from Iraq that is now currently under way. This should be celebrated as a victory for the Iraqi people, and a joyous time for family reunions for the people who will see their loved ones finally home safe and sound, not a political reelection tool.

Welcome home to our brave troops and we are sincerely grateful to their families and loved ones! We thank you for your loyal service and dedication to America.