[quote]smh_23 wrote:
[quote]pat wrote:
[quote]smh_23 wrote:
But the pull out was absolutely, emphatically not “Obama’s idea.”[/quote]
The fact that eventually there was going to be a pull out was not. The tentative date set by Bush was first tentative, and second was subject to an assessment of the situation on the ground, and third was subject to “combat troops”, not all troops. There was to remain a remnant of troops for continued training and maintenance.
The idea of setting a public hard date, regardless of whether or not the job was done or not was not Bush’s idea. Bush always maintained that we would not pull out until Iraq was ready.
The idea of pulling up stakes regardless of the situation, making that date public and pulling all American troops was omaba’s decision alone.
You cannot hold Bush accountable for something he set in 2008 as a tentative date, for what obama did in 2011. Bush would not have done a hard pull out and he would not have publicized the date.
So yes, this was obama’s fault. He made all those decisions. He knew, everybody knew that the Iraqis were not ready to take sole control. He did it anyway. It was his mistake, and it was costly. It was as evidently a stupid decision then as it is now.
[/quote]
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2008/11/18/56116/unofficial-translation-of-us-iraq.html#storylink=cpy
[quote]
All U.S. forces are to withdraw from all Iraqi territory, water and airspace no later than the 31st of December of 2011.
All U.S. combat forces are to withdraw from Iraqi cities, villages, and towns not later than the date that Iraqi forces assume complete responsibility of security in any Iraqi province. The withdrawal of U.S. forces from the above-mentioned places is on a date no later than the 30 June 2009. The withdrawing U.S. forces mentioned in item (2) above are to gather in the installations and areas agreed upon that are located outside of cities, villages and towns that will be determined by the Joint Military Operation Coordinating Committee (JMOCC) before the date determined in item (2) above.
The United States admits to the sovereign right of the Iraqi government to demand the departure of the U.S. forces from Iraq at anytime. The Iraqi government admits to the sovereign right of the United States to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq at anytime.
The two parties agree to put a mechanism and preparations for reducing the number of U.S. forces during the appointed period. And they are to agree on the locations where the forces are to settle.[/quote]
That is not tentative, and it sets hard dates.
It is simply nonsense to pretend that this plan was not hatched under Bush.[/quote]
Who is responsible for troop deployment the sitting president or former president?
