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| August 3, 2010 |
Lie: Obama says keeping Bush's Iraq withdrawal dates fulfills campaign promise
Posted by Staff |
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President Barack Obama told disabled veterans in Atlanta on Monday that he was fulfilling a campaign promise by ending U.S. combat operations in Iraq "on schedule," by Aug. 31.
But the timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops in Iraq was decided during the Bush administration with the signing of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) by U.S. and Iraq officials on Nov. 16, 2008. The Iraqi parliament signed SOFA on Nov. 27, 2008.
The agreement, which had been in negotiations since 2007, set a timetable calling for most U.S. troops to leave Iraqi towns and cities by June 30, 2009, with about 50,000 troops left in place until the final withdrawal of all U.S. military forces by Dec. 31, 2011.
"Today's vote affirms the growth of Iraq's democracy and increasing ability to secure itself," President George W. Bush said of the Iraqi parliamentary vote in a statement on Nov. 27, 2008. "Two years ago this day seemed unlikely - but the success of the surge and the courage of the Iraqi people set the conditions for these two agreements to be negotiated and approved by the Iraqi Parliament."
At the convention for disabled vets on Monday, many of whom served in Iraq, President Obama took credit for ending the war.
"As a candidate for president, I pledged to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end," Obama said. "Shortly after taking office, I announced our new strategy for Iraq and for a transition to full Iraqi responsibility.
"And I made it clear that by August 31st, 2010, America's combat mission in Iraq would end," Obama said. "And that is exactly what we are doing - as promised and on schedule."
Obama's campaign Web site, Organizing for America, said that if he was elected, the war would end in May 2010... |
| 08/3/10 11:02 AM |
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