Obama Lauds Fake End to Iraq War as ‘Historic Moment’

Praises Bush for 'Commitment to Our Security'

President Barack Obama tonight made his carefully choreographed “end of the Iraq War” speech, assuring Americans that this fake end, as opposed to the other fake ends, stands as an “historic moment” in American history and a “milestone” that “should serve as a reminder to all the world” of America’s military leadership.

Little attention was given to the 50,000 US troops still fighting in Iraq, beyond a vague mention to “transitional forces protecting our civilians.” The speech rather focused on the illusory military victory and included claims that security problems in Iraq are among “the lowest on record,” in spite of dramatically escalating attacks on the ground.

Obama also praised President Bush for starting the war in the first place, insisting that while he “disagreed” at the time with the invasion “no one can doubt President Bush’s love of country and commitment to our security,” adding that the war was a “remarkable chapter” in the history of America’s commitment to providing “freedom” through military force of arms.

Beyond this, the speech turned into a dual call for a dramatic escalation in domestic spending and for Americans to support his multiple escalations of the war in Afghanistan, insisting that “as with the surge in Iraq” the assorted surges in Afghanistan would eventually make possible more speeches like tonight’s.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.