President uses the national podium to push his economic agenda

Barack Obama began his remarks by saying, “I know this historic moment comes at a time of great uncertainty for many Americans. We’ve now been through nearly a decade of war. We’ve endured a long and painful recession and sometimes in the midst of these storms the future that we’re trying to build for our nation; a future of lasting peace and long-term prosperity may seem beyond our reach.”

The president then said, “But this milestone should serve as a reminder to all Americans that the future is ours to shape if we move forward with confidence and commitment.” The president then said, “It should also serve as a message to the world that the United States of America intends to sustain and strengthen our leadership in this young century.”

Many of the president’s critics believe the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq sends a message that the United States is giving up.

The president said that he is awed by the sacrifice of the troops who have served in Iraq and awed by the sacrifices of their families. He then said, “The Americans who have served in Iraq completed every mission they were given.”

"Ending this war is not only in Iraq's interest — it is in our own,” President Obama said in his address from the Oval Office tonight. Today the official withdrawal of all combat forces in Iraq is complete following seven years of war.

"The United States has paid a huge price to put the future of Iraq in the hands of its people," President Obama said tonight.

"Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country," Obama said. President Obama made sure to remind the nation that he had promised to meet this goal and shrink U.S. involvement in Iraq, "and that is what we have done.”

Those who disagree with the pull-out of U.S. troops believe that Iraq is being left in a very vulnerable position.  Violence and attacks remain high, Iraqi troops are ill-equipped and as for leaving “the future of Iraq in the hands of its people” Iraq has yet to form a working government.

The United States went to war in Afghanistan following the attacks on the U.S. carried out on 9.11.2001 by Al Qaeda, a radical Islamic terrorist organization.

On March 20, 2003 President George W. Bush expanded the war on terrorism beyond Afghanistan and into Iraq based primarily on the belief that “weapons of mass destruction” existed under the Iraqi regime of Dictator Sadam Hussein.

On December 13, 2003 U.S. troops captured Sadam Hussein hiding in a hole in the ground. Hussein stood trial and was executed for his crimes against the people of Iraq.

Unable to resist the lure of a primetime audience, Obama went into campaign mode taking time from the Iraq speech to push his economic agenda, noting that the economy, ‘Must be our central mission as a people, and my central responsibility as president." "

"Our most urgent task is to restore our economy," Obama said. "We must jumpstart industries that create jobs, and end our dependence on foreign oil." Obama made the “end our dependence on foreign oil” comment with a straight face despite his administration’s efforts to end offshore drilling in the U.S. following the BP oil spill disaster. 

Predictably, President Obama took a swipe at former President George W. Bush saying, "Unfortunately over the last decade we've not done what's necessary to shore up the foundations of our own prosperity.  We've spent a trillion dollars at war, often financed by borrowing from overseas.  This in turn has short changed investments in our own people and contributed to record deficits." 

The President did not make any references to his stimulus spending or health care reform legislation that has led to trillions of dollars of debt.