Obama Discusses Iraq From Oval Office; CRs Praise Bush, Blast Obama

For the second time this summer, President Obama addressed the nation Tuesday evening from the Oval Office. Declaring “the American combat mission in Iraq has ended,” while highlighting the current troop drawdown, the president said “it is time to turn the page.”

Although the United States will continue to have a presence in Iraq until next summer, the relationship between the two countries would be one of partners, “based upon mutual interests, and mutual respect,” Mr. Obama said.

In reference to his predecessor, President Obama explained that earlier in the day he had spoken to former-President George W. Bush, the original architect of the war.

“It's well known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset,” the president explained.

“Yet no one can doubt President Bush's support for our troops or his love of country and commitment to our security. ”

Though the U.S. is exiting Iraq, Mr. Obama also used his address to reaffirm America’s commitment to winning the war in Afghanistan, explaining though “Al Qaeda continues to plot against us…we will disrupt, dismantle, and defeat Al Qaeda, while preventing Afghanistan from again serving as a base for terrorists.”

The president used the final few minutes of his speech to emphasize the responsibility we all have in honoring our veterans. Whether through healthcare, educational benefits, or job opportunities, “part of ending a war responsibly is standing by those who have fought it,” Mr. Obama explained.

In a press release released Wednesday, the GW College Republicans praised Mr. Bush “for his courageous decision-making,” while criticizing Mr. Obama for his failure to mention the 2007 troop surge, which, at the time, the current president and vice-president both opposed.

Opining about the overall mission of the war, the release stated that, “A tyrant has been silenced and a nation given a new destiny. Operation Iraqi Freedom was the right thing to do in March 2003 and eight years later it remains the right decision.”

The CRs also lambasted the president for his mention of the economy, a brief aside Mr. Obama made, when emphasizing, what he described as “our most urgent task.”