Obama's Weekly Address: Bringing Home Our Troops

President Obama discusses how the death of Moammar Qadhafi in Libya and the announcement that troops from Iraq will return home by the end of the year are strong reminders that the United States has renewed its leadership in the world.





I shared my thoughts on this announcement yesterday. Personally, I think that Obama is playing chess while most of his opponents are playing checkers.

What say u?

President Obama is Kicking Butt and Taking Names

You would think that folks would no longer underestimate President Obama. Hillary Clinton underestimated him in the Democratic primary process 4 years ago. John McCain and Sarah Palin underestimated him in the 2008 elections. Methinks that Sen. McConnell, Rep. Boehner, Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Rick Perry and anyone else that thinks Barack Obama is going to be a 1-term president is underestimating the man.


President Obama is one cool, calm and collected man. He puts his mind to a goal and works through the process until he reaches it. Just ask Osama bin Laden, Muammar al-Qaddafi and the others on Barack Obama's shrinking hit list.

Obama decided that today would be a good day to rock the world with another bombshell -- the end of the war in Iraq. In 2008, in the height of the presidential campaign, then-Senator Obama made a promise to give our military a new mission: ending the war in Iraq.

As the election unfolded, he reiterated this pledge again and again -- but cautioned that we would be "as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in." 

Last year, the President made progress toward achieving that goal. He brought an end to the combat mission in Iraq, and through the course of the past 14 months, more than 100,000 troops have returned to their families.

Today, President proved himself to be a person of his word -- the war in Iraq will be over by the holidays.





I'm proud of my president ... how about you?

President's Weekly Address: The End of Combat Operations in Iraq

With the end of combat operations in Iraq days ahead, the President salutes our troops for their service and pledges to fulfill America’s commitment to them as veterans. 90,000 troops have left Iraq since the President came into office, and by the end of next year even the troops taking part in the non-combat mission will be home.

The administration is upholding the sacred trust with our veterans by building a 21st century VA, making it easier for veterans with PTSD to receive the benefits they need, funding and implementing a Post-9/11 GI Bill, and devoting new resources to job training and placement to help those veterans looking for work in a tough economy.




I understand that President Obama will be speaking to the nation on Tuesday evening. What are your thoughts about the way he handled the Iraq War?

7th Anniversary of Iraq War: Thousands Dead, $747.3 Billion Spent And Not Any Safer

Soulclap to the BraveNew Foundation for continuing to champion social justice issues by using media to inspire, empower, motivate and teach civic participation that makes a difference.

It is worth remembering that today is the 7th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of the Iraq War. The invasion and occupation of Iraq has been a massive waste of human life and treasure.




The folks at BraveNew Foundation want to ensure that President Obama doesn't make the same mistakes in Afghanistan that Bush made in Iraq. I don't support their policy preference of leaving the Afghanistan War immediately. I prefer to put my confidence in our Commander-in-Chief on the timing for ending our war with Afghanistan.

What are your thoughts on this 7th anniversary of the Iraq War?

Why Won't Congress Shine Light on Rape-Murder of Pvt. LaVena Johnson?

Villagers may recall that Army Pvt. LaVena L. Johnson is the 19-year-old Missouri woman who died in Iraq after being raped, beaten, shot and set on fire. The Army has ruled Johnson’s death a suicide from a self-inflicted rifle shot. The case is profiled in the forthcoming documentary, "LaVena Johnson — The Silent Truth," due for release in 2010. It examines whether there is an army coverup of the rape and murder of women soldiers. (WARNING: Video contains graphic images of the crime scene)

I hope that LaVena Johnson gets justice. What do you think?

American Casualties of War

It appears that the war in Iraq continues to move towards its end. We only had nine American troops killed in Iraq during March, the lowest monthly total since the war began.

America lost 43 soldiers so far this year in 'Operation Enduring Freedom', the war in Afghanistan.

The prayers of our entire village go out to the men and women serving in the military.

Six Years of War in Iraq

Six years to the day have passed since President Bush launched the invasion of Iraq.

4,260 U.S. servicemen and women and hundreds more from coalition countries have been killed in Iraq since the war began. Tens of thousands have been physically and mentally wounded. In fact, suicides among Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans "may exceed the combat death toll because of inadequate mental health care."

According to Iraq Body Count, nearly 100,000 (maybe more) Iraqi civilians have lost their lives because of the war. Nearly 5 million Iraqis have either been internally displaced or left the country.

The Iraq War can't end soon enough for me. Do you have any thoughts as the 6th anniversary of this war comes and goes?

Obama Announces End of Iraq Combat Mission (Video)

President Obama continues to keep his campaign promises. Obama declared that the United States would end its bloody and costly combat mission in Iraq by late summer of 2010.




"Let me say this as plainly as I can: by August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end," he said in a speech at the Marine Corps base at Camp Lejeune, N.C. "As we carry out this drawdown, my highest priority will be the safety and security of our troops and civilians in Iraq."

(Th)ink by Keith Knight: Bush & Iraqi Shoes

(Th)ink is an editorial cartoon written and drawn by cartoonist Keith Knight (the K Chronicles).

Do You Still Believe in Iraq War?

Sometime in the next few days the 4,000th American casualty in the Iraq War will take place. The official name of the conflict is 'Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.'.

Is there anyone who still believes that the United States should be engaged in this war? Is there anyone who wants to follow Bush/Cheney/McCain into another 100 years in this war?

We have not talked very much in our village about the Iraq War, however, I am very interested in what you think about it as we enter into the 6th year of the battle. What say u?