Earlier today President Barack Obama made a visit to Fort Bliss in Texas where he met with troops there and gave them a preview of his Oval Office speech which will focus on the end of combat operations in Iraq. The speech is scheduled for tonight at 8:00 Eastern/7:00 Central.
Obama told the troops at Fort Bliss that his speech will not be self-congratulatory, nor will it be a victory lap. Rather, the president promised that his speech would be a time to acknowledge the accomplishments and sacrifices of the past seven years of war.
Sounding almost Bushesque, Obama said, "But the fact of the matter is, because of the extraordinary service that all of you have done, and so many people here at Fort Bliss, Iraq has an opportunity to create a better future for itself and America is more secure."
The end of a combat in Iraq does not mean that all U.S. troops will be coming home. A force of 50,000 U.S. troops will remain in Iraq.
