Official White House Photo/Public Domain

Today, President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to everyone’s favorite Bush-era adventureland, Iraq.  The Commander-in-Chief said in remarks to American service men and women at Camp Victory, outside of Baghdad, that it was time for Iraqis to “to take responsibility for their own country”.  Obama said that he was committed to stick to his timetable of troop withdrawal in Iraq but would not let the country slide back into armed conflict.

It is probably a godsend for the President that the Iraq War has disappeared from headlines around America in the midst of the economic crisis that has preoccupied the public and the press alike.  Despite his initial opposition to the War in Iraq, which served as a defining issue separating him from Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primaries of 2008, Obama has almost seamlessly transitioned to a war policy much closer to the establishment in place before he ascended to office.  Even after withdrawal deadline in the timetable Obama has issued, 35,000 to 50,000 American troops are slated to stay in the country as “advisors.”  I’m not hating on Obama.  Personally, as much as I have hated the idea of the Iraq War from way back when it was little more than a sales pitch by Bush & Co., the idea of picking up and leaving in such a sensitive region of the world has never seemed like a wise idea.

You can takepart in learning more about the United States’ relief efforts in Iraq by checking out USAID.

LINKS:

AFP: Obama makes surprise visit to Iraq

Xinhua: Obama’s Iraq plan has broad domestic support

Washington Post: Obama says Iraq entering critical phase