There were no "Mission Accomplished" banners or other congratulatory trappings in the East Room of the White House Tuesday, when President Obama marked the withdrawal of American combat troops from Iraqi cities and towns in a decidedly understated fashion.
At a ceremony recognizing innovative nonprofit programs across the country, Obama paused to recognize the transfer of control to Iraq's government and security forces and reaffirm a goal of removing all U.S. combat forces from that country by the end of 2011.
"Iraq's leaders must now make some hard choices necessary to resolve key political questions, to advance opportunity, and to provide security for their towns and their cities. In this effort, America will be a strong partner to the Iraqi people on behalf of their security and prosperity," Obama said, before recognizing the sacrifices of American troops.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama views the milestone as an important step, but then ducked questions about whether the administration thinks it's won the war in Iraq, or at least has put itself in a position to win the conflict.
"It is an important step forward for the Iraqis to govern their own nation. It is an important step forward in our ability to ultimately draw down our combat troops and leave Iraq in a good situation. And all of that has let us invest more of our resources in Afghanistan," Gibbs said.
Asked again about declaring victory, Gibbs replied, "We'll keep the banner printers from doing anything crazy" -- an obvious reference to President George W. Bush's May 2003 observance of what he called the end of the conventional phase of the war.
The somber tone on Tuesday was understandable given continued violence in Iraq, evidenced by a car bombing in the northern city of Kirkuk on Tuesday that killed at least 20 people and wounded 25 others.
Administration officials also are aware that challenges ahead in Afghanistan are no less daunting. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace issued a report on Tuesday concluding the Taliban's insurgency could spread across that nation within two years thanks to a more coherent leadership and a sophisticated propaganda operation.
Rather than concentrate forces to challenge a U.S. troop surge, the report said the Taliban could exert more pressure in the country's northern provinces and around the capital of Kabul. That means the United States will have to pressure Pakistan to take action against the Taliban's central command in Quetta, along the border with Afghanistan, and limit insurgents' ability to mount hit-and-run attacks from their refuge.
![[RSS]](http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/templates/images/rss_icon.gif){kind=icon}
![[ARCHIVES]](http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/templates/images/archives_icon.png){kind=icon}
Post A Comment