Rachel Maddow Special “Hubris: Selling The Iraq War” based on the book ‘HUBRIS’ by Michael Isikoff & David Corn.
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HUBRIS: Selling The Iraq War
Category: Iraq
Another promise kept, as Republicans continue chastising the president for following through on his word to end the unpopular war.
“After nearly nine years of war, tens of thousands of casualties –including 4,500 dead — and more than $800 billion spent, the U.S. military on Thursday formally ended its mission in Iraq and prepared to leave the country,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
New York Times: “The tenor of the farewell ceremony, officially called ‘Casing the Colors,’ was likely to sound an uncertain trumpet for a war that was launched to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction it did not have and now ends without the sizable, enduring American military presence for which many officers had hoped. The tone of the string of ceremonies culminating with the final withdrawal event on Thursday has been understated in keeping with an administration that campaigned to end an unpopular war it inherited.”
In all fairness, the decision to leave Iraq was made between the Bush administration and the leaders of Iraq. But this important little fact means absolutely nothing to Republicans, as they continue accusing this president of wrongly bringing this war to an end.
Finally.
Bringing the troops home. It was a promise Barack Obama made while campaigning for President, and now, less than three years into his first term, President Obama is keeping yet another promise.
He made it official today by announcing that all American troops remaining in Iraq will be home for the holidays. He thanked them for a job well done and promised them all the benefits they have earned in serving their country.
Of the 39,000 troops in Iraq, about 150, a negligible force, will remain to assist in arms sales, a U.S. official told CNN. The rest will be out of Iraq by December 31.
The president said he was making good on his 2008 campaign pledge to end a war that has divided the nation since it began in 2003 and claimed more than 4,400 American lives.The announcement also came after talks that might have allowed a continued major military presence broke down amid disputes about whether U.S. troops would be immune to prosecution by Iraqi authorities.
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sat down for an exclusive interview with Lawrence O’ Donnell last night, and continued her defense of the Bush administration and their decisions to invade Iraq. She also credits Mr. Bush for the capture and killing of Osama Bin Laden, saying that a lot of the things Bush did, directly lead to Bin Laden’s demise.
When Lawrence pointed out that the decision to go into Iraq was wrong and based on a flawed report, Miss Rice got irritated and threatened to walk out on the interview.
Five months after September 11th 2001, the Bush administration shifted focus from Afghanistan and zeroed in on Iraq. One would think that after this interview, the reasons would be more clear. One would be wrong to think that.
