No, George Bush hasn’t actually commented on present events in Iraq, probably because he doesn’t believe it’s helpful for ex-presidents to criticize their successors.
But he already described the situation back in 2007, when he gave a speech explaining why he was vetoing a bill passed by the Democratic Congress which would have pulled troops out of Iraq (the first three minutes of the video are especially relevant):
For those who say “but Bush negotiated the agreement under which Obama ended up completely pulling out of Iraq,” there is no question that everyone involved in those Bush negotiations expected that the next president would forge a new agreement with the Iraqi government when the time came, and that it would involve leaving some residual forces there. But it was clear that Obama had no interest in doing so; he barely participated in the talks and pulled out when the going got the least bit rough.
Contrast Bush’s speech in the video above with this speech of Obama’s which he made on the occasion of the complete withdrawal from Iraq. He justifies and celebrates that withdrawal by praising the accomplishments the US had made in Iraq up to then—including and especially those of the surge which he had bitterly opposed as a senator. Ironically and tragically, those achievements have evaporated now, although their loss might well have been prevented had he left a small residual force in the country.
If we had a real press, they’d all be pointing this out on their front pages. But we don’t.
[Featured image: C-SPAN video]
[Neo-neocon is a writer with degrees in law and family therapy, who blogs at neo-neocon.]
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Comments
The effects of this anti-American, anti-Western foreign policy will take decades to reverse.
If we have decades.
The world is MUCH more dangerous today than it was in 2009. I see no reason to expect that will not continue until we are rid of this sick, twisted and evil man and his cohort.
Obama is making the same mistake in Afghanistan. Now the Taliban can wait till the US pulls out and then do what ISIS is doing in Iraq.
It’s not a “mistake”. It’s exactly what obamullah WANTS to see happen.
The lying leftist filth who still defend Obama’s failed policies also ignore the fact that the new SOFA was nearly completed by our in-country team, there were only a few details to be ironed out. Obama would never even give our negotiators a target number of troops for the residual force, however, so their hands were tied. They could not sell Maliki on an undefined level and he could not sell his coalition without a number.
And it was because Obama never wanted to maintain a presence there, despite the usefulness of bases there would be for our regional ability to project power and influence events. And ONLY because of this.
Blaming Bush is the reflexive false flag of those who refuse to assign Obama responsibility for any of his failures – which includes, of course, Obama himself.
The Iraqis were stunned when Obama pulled out of negotiations and did not come back.
The Democrats are pretending that this present, ugly result was inevitable, and they certainly worked hard to bring it about. For shame.
Obama is doing what Biden berated Bush for not doing; winning the peace.
The issue,in the long term, no longer involves Iraq.
Instead, the issue now should be on our country and the effects from Obama’s policies on our border, our immigration policies, our fiscal policies, our federal government, that overgrown unwieldy mammoth / dinosaur, our ability to govern this country as it was founded, and our ability to exist as Americans and not as citizens of some Orwellian / Dysoptian society.
I wish the Iraqi troubles were not now happening, yet Obama will do little to alleviate the terror for those whom we tried to make into a civil society. And, too, Afghan is next of Obama’s timetable of fomenting his idea of radical transformation changes and God help all those people too because Obama will not.
Worse yet, we Americans have no power over Obama’s radical behaviors, our Congress is seemingly even more unable to do anything; and I suspect even after the 2014 elections that statement will ring true.
I meant to add that, IMHO, the remainder of Obama’s second term will result in his version of an imperialist’s regime; Congress be damned because his administration will be run through the use of his executive orders, his imperial edicts.
Drill, baby, drill!