President Obama Announces Withdrawal of All U.S. "Combat" Troops from Iraq by August 2010 - Video 2/27/09

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Here is video of President Barack Obama today announcing his plan to withdraw all combat mission U.S. Troops from Iraq by August of 2010. He made the announcement in a speech before U.S. Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Obama's plan will leave 50,000 U.S. Troops in Iraq after the August 2010 deadline, but they will not be classified as "combat" troops. He said he wanted all troops out of Iraq by the end of 2011. But Obama left wiggle room to alter these plans based on what happens in Iraq between now and then.

Obama clearly wanted to leave the impression he is keeping his campaign pledge to "end the war in Iraq." But he has listened to his military advisers in leaving 50,000 troops in Iraq past the withdrawal date of "combat" troops in August 2010. That is a good thing.

President Obama delivered a truly wonderful speech today, eloquently praising the success of our troops. He couldn't quite bring himself to use the words "victory," or "won" to describe what our troops have accomplished in Iraq, but he did say emphatically that they "got the job done." He's right - they did. Despite the doubt of most of the Democratic Party, including Obama himself, they got the job done.

Obama pledged to provide better health care to veterans and said he was raising the pay of our military personnel. That got a lot of applause, and Obama is right to do both.

The far-left will not be happy with Obama's plan. I suspect, we will see some level of U.S. troop presence in Iraq long after the 2011 deadline Obama set for all troops to be removed. A reason will present itself, and Obama will take it. Whatever he really thinks and feels about our military, he does not want Iraq to descend into chaos on his watch, and as a result of his decision.