Last Troops To Return From Iraq This Month

Thank God. Or rather, thank Barack Obama, who finally, mercifully, years-later-than-necessary pulled the plug on the pointless war in Iraq. The last few thousand troops still stationed in Iraq will fly out of the country on December 31. That date will mark the end of a nine-year campaign that began with a series of lies told by George Bush and his administration of various war criminals and unsavory characters. Unfortunately, Obama has no plans to arrest them and march them before the Hague on the war crimes charges they all deserve. In any case, this marks another success for the Obama administration, which has been working to undo the damage that Bush and his cronies wrought on the entire Middle East in the post-9/11 era. In addition to ending Osama Bin Laden's life, Obama's strategies have also ended the Ghaddfi problem, freeing Libya from his rule, and saw American troops capture or kill most of the remaining Al Qaeda leadership team. "When I took office, nearly 150,000 American troops were deployed in Iraq. and I pledged to end this war responsibly," Mr. Obama said at the beginning of a press conference. He continued, "Today only several thousand troops remain there...this is a season of homecomings. Military families across America are being reunited for the holidays." All that really remains is to get all the troops out of Afghanistan — a terrible war (as if any war, anywhere, is anything BUT terrible). That might be a little trickier. Obama is hesitant to simply cut our losses and leave, and doubling down with even more forces hardly makes sense. What that situation needs now is a negotiation between the United States and the Taliban/Afghan governments. Secretary of State Clinton needs to spend a few weeks in Kabul, hammering out a peace agreement that saves face for both the United States AND Afghanistan. We need to get our boots, butts, and drones out of the entire region and let the instability in the region create its own new reality. If we have as much faith in democracy as we proclaim, this should be our primary goal. But after watching the United States crack down on peaceful protesters, including beating them, pepper-spraying them, arresting them without cause, holding them without bail, and destroying their personal property without compensation, it's hard to say that the United States even supports democracy. Throw in the new bill that declares the entire United States a battlefield upon which anyone, even citizens, can be arrested and held by the military indefinitely, and well, it makes sense why we won't simply let the Afghanis vote on their future and be done with it. At least we're done in Iraq, where tens of thousands died for what? Oil? Revenge on Saddam? For the fun of it? To establish an American foothold in the oil-world? To fund the war machine? You tell me. Better yet — tell it to the families of the dead. Like my stories? You can subscribe for my free newsletter here. Read more of my stories at Benzinga. You can also reach me by email john@benzinga.com or on twitter @johndthorpe.