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Gibbs On Troop Withdrawal From Iraq: Don’t Expect A Formal Victory Ceremony

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Vice President Joe Biden visited Baghdad today to formally mark the end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq, seven years after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. During today’s White House press briefing, Mediaite’s Tommy Christopher reminded Press Secretary Robert Gibbs that opponents of the war continually seeking definition of what how victory in Iraq would appear, following with “is this what victory looks like?”

Gibbs replied “I think we are used to, in thinking about victory and a war, I think we’re used to the pictures of sometime of ceremony on a Battleship at sea. I don’t think you’re likely, based on the wars we’re involved in, I don’t think you are likely to see those scenarios.” Gibbs clarified “what you’ll see tomorrow is the changing of a mission from one of combat to one of support.”

During the earlier stages of his candidacy Barack Obama campaigned hard on ending the Iraq War, and since taking office, has shifted combat operations on the Afghanistan theater, while de-emphasizing a stabilizing situation in Iraq. Critics of Obama on the left appear to have focus more on what some have called an “unwinnable” situation in Afghanistan, though forgetting that, at the very least, by withdrawing combat troops from Iraq, Obama is making good at least one of his campaign promises.

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  • http://gordonbloyershow.com gordonbloyershow

    Gibbs, this is the news for YOU. Coly, Glynnis and Tommy read it and weep. Bye Bye Barry.

    GOP Takes Unprecedented 10-Point Lead on Generic Ballot
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    PRINCETON, NJ — Republicans lead by 51% to 41% among registered voters in Gallup weekly tracking of 2010 congressional voting preferences. The 10-percentage-point lead is the GOP’s largest so far this year and is its largest in Gallup’s history of tracking the midterm generic ballot for Congress.

  • murf

    Why does it seem that Bite-Me is always doing Obama’s dirty work ? It would seem more appropriate if the Commander- in -Chief , went to Baghdad to formally mark the end of combat operations.. Then again he didn’t support the winning strategy either ( Surge ) so nevermind .

  • TfT

    For once, when Obama gives a speech he should say “It’s Bush’s fault”, but this time he won’t.

    SOFA in action; thanks to our troops and the persistence of President Bush and his team.

    Good job.

  • More Liberty

    LOL…I didn’t know Mediaite was employing “Spenc” from the show “King of Queens.”

    Any whoo, “by withdrawing combat troops from Iraq, Obama is making good at least one of his campaign promises” many of the 50,000 US troops that are in Iraq are still in danger, still dying and still facing combat. They’ve done nothing but rename the brigades to regiments. While there might not be anymore “combat brigades” there are still combat battalions, companies and platoons.

    Furthermore, the SOFA, which actually detailed the troop withdraw, was signed by Bush. This article is nothing but more bias via mediaite.

  • chucken

    OK the surge was a success.And those who were against it were wong.But will I ever hear from conservatives that before the surge the reasons for going to war WMD,Nukes,ties to 9-11, and looming danger in the region were false.And from 2003 to the surge the war was conducted very badly by the Bush Administration?And was the 4,400 killed,30,000 injured, and going on 1 trillion dollars worth the cost of invading Iraq?

  • murf

    Major Garrett is reporting Obama will call George W. Bush before speech tommorrow. Good to hear.

  • juan

    President Bush should get CREDIT for the withdrawal, not Obama!

    Obama and the Democrats in Congress tried to undermine President Bush during the War by voting against funding for the Troops and against the Surge!

  • juan

    chucken said:
    But will I ever hear from conservatives that before the surge the reasons for going to war WMD,Nukes,ties to 9-11, and looming danger in the region were false.

    The Democrats voted for it and were all saying the same thing, including Gore, Clinton and Hillary!

    It’s all on video! Do some research!

  • redleaf

    Here’s the part where Conservatives claim the MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner on the USS Abraham Lincoln only referred to that particular mission for that particular ship.

  • chucken

    Juan hate to rattle your feeble mind but the president has virtually all the power to take a country to war and conduct it as he seems fit.And name the current president who was against the war from the start.And the intelligence that the Democracts got was a fraud.Ever hear of the main sources curveball?Chalabi? all were exposed out as complete liars.And George “slam dunk” Tenent former CIA Director warned the Bushies that Iraq would have an insurgency after the invasion.And Obama is just cleaning up another Bush fuck up.

  • felixw

    And there won’t be victory ceremony at the White House in November either. Take a look at these numbers;

    http://www.gallup.com/poll/142718/GOP-Unprecedented-Lead-Generic-Ballot.aspx

  • Azarkhan
  • ImJustThatDamnGood

    What is wrong with you conservatives? We should have never invaded Iraq. The surge only worked b/c the people Bush called terrorists had a change of heart once Bush began to treat them with some respect. If a conservative set a house on fire and then help to put the fire out the same conservative would want credit for putting out the fire he/she started.

  • TfT

    hey I’m.

    President Clinton signed into law, the Regime Change in Iraq, based on a vote of 100-0 in the Senate.

    Funny how you lefties forget that Bush isn’t the one who invented “WMD in Iraq”; but hey, history will get it right despite the lefty loons attempts to change it.

  • chucken

    And DamnGood the late Jack Murtha was right back in 2004.The Iraq people will have to sort things out for themselves and that will mean a lot more bloodshed that should not be Americans.And look at the recent carnage.We opened Pandora’s box and can’t get it shut.

  • Constantly

    chucken said:
    OK the surge was a success.And those who were against it were wong.But will I ever hear from conservatives that before the surge the reasons for going to war WMD,Nukes,ties to 9-11, and looming danger in the region were false.And from 2003 to the surge the war was conducted very badly by the Bush Administration?And was the 4,400 killed,30,000 injured, and going on 1 trillion dollars worth the cost of invading Iraq?

    let me guess, saddam killed all those kurds and iranians with sillyputty?

  • chucken

    TfT for the last time Clinton did not take us into war in 2003 Bush did.You wingnuts blame everybody else except the person who was in charge at the time.Does Bush get any blame at all for Iraq??

  • chucken

    Constantly that was in 1991 when the Kurds were gassed.We know for a fact Saddam did not have WMD at the time of the invasion in March 2003.How many years can you keep on fucking lying about the facts.

  • Constantly

    chucken said:
    Constantly that was in 1991 when the Kurds were gassed.We know for a fact Saddam did not have WMD at the time of the invasion in March 2003.How many years can you keep on fucking lying about the facts.

    oh there is an expiration date on WMDs? god youre stupid fuck

  • TfT

    chucken:

    Bush gets blamed for the success in Iraq. History will get it right, despite your lying lefties and the current flock of lefty historians who are known more for their plagerism than for truth telling.

  • Patrick Henry

    chucken said:
    OK the surge was a success.And those who were against it were wong.But will I ever hear from conservatives that before the surge the reasons for going to war WMD,Nukes,ties to 9-11, and looming danger in the region were false.And from 2003 to the surge the war was conducted very badly by the Bush Administration?And was the 4,400 killed,30,000 injured, and going on 1 trillion dollars worth the cost of invading Iraq?

    Not from me. I do think our strategy became much better when Gates replaced Rumsfeld.

  • Patrick Henry

    redleaf said:
    Here’s the part where Conservatives claim the MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner on the USS Abraham Lincoln only referred to that particular mission for that particular ship.

    Red, mission does not equal war. There are many missions in a war. President Bush said that day that there was still alot of tough fighting to be done, but that the first part of the mission was accomplished.

  • Dosser

    Yep,Obama is going to receive the majority of the credit for this,even if in reality he doesn’t deserve it.
    Another campaign promise kept indeed.Now please do me a favor O’,realize you made a mistake with the HCR and throw it out.Just throw it out by your own good will…will ya’ Barry???
    Please:)

  • chucken

    Constantly,UHHHH! What? expiration date on WMD’s? Let me talk reeeeaal Slooowly.If Saddam did not have WMD in 2003 he could not use them. We know he did not have them so 2+2= ?.And Dumbshit WMD’s do degrade over the years if not kept up.Not like guns that can last many years.Bush would have been a hero if Iraq went well.It did not and now history will have no choice but to place him on the trash heap.

  • jk76

    credit for a campaign promise….yeah that’s fuckin hilarious

    he already said that “I said this, I did this, I, I, I am doing what I said” take time off, have other stories, ride back in triumphant

    I wish reality would matter more to the lefties, but it is just the ends.

  • More Liberty

    chucken said:
    Juan hate to rattle your feeble mind but the president has virtually all the power to take a country to war and conduct it as he seems fit.

    Actually, the congress holds the purse strings. They’re not fighting anywar, conflict without approval for the cash.

  • Nachi

    We really need a return to the 2 Bushdrunk years. Ignorant Murcuhns in the streets, with no concept of “war.” Celebrating the fiasco of BushDrunk #1′s “invasion” of Iraq. Endless months of watching Stormin Norman’s tanks racing thru the dessert – against a non-existent ghost army. Suddenly every geek who ever wore a uniform & showed up for work most of the time had/has the word “hero” applied to him. All should have been too embarrassed to partake of those “parades,” ordered or not. A new low point in Murcuhn history. With the ever-drooling masses believing it was/is “real.” Pitiful. Just pitiful.

  • Nachi

    Hey! But we can still have “heroes” in air-conditioned offices in Colorado grasping a joystick & sending drones into the Middle-East! And be home in time to watch “King of The Hill” & “Operation Repo.”

    Hit don’t git no better’n that!

  • Morgan

    Gibbs said there would be no banners proclaiming “Mission Accomplished.” Does that mean the mission was not accomplished, or was the mission August 31, 2010.

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