So now Obama owns *two* wars. Great chess, eh?

[Bragi]

Before last night, Obama had already seized full political ownership of Bush's doomed-to-failure war in Afghanistan.

Last night, he successfully seized political ownership of the brief Iraq "peace", which is poised to fail and will evolve into a dreadful and bloody civil war.

The civil war will be, of course, just the logical outcome of, and continuation of, Bush's initial reckless Iraq war, which means that Obama now politically owns both of Bush's wars.

Chess, eh?

[impik]

1. Two wars?

Nice spin, but what's new.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

2. Only if you bite on the moronic Republican spin.

Bush started both wars. Period.

[rucky]

3. Republians want to take credit for it.

I say we let 'em.

[Bragi]

7. And Obama now politically owns both of them /nt

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

8. And you own zero functioning brain cells.

Only one of our two statements is true, and I'd bet the house that mine is the one.

[Bragi]

11. Congrats. So well argued! /nt

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

26. You make it easy. (nt)

[emilyg]

28. You own no manners.

[babylonsister]

12. Do you think he should have given them back, and do you think

idiot son would have accepted them.

Yes, this is a big fat fail post.

[jefferson_dem]

4. Pitiful post, chuck full of fail...

at so many levels.

Unrec.

[Bragi]

6. Nicely argued, oh wait...

There is no argument proffered.

Strange, eh?

[jefferson_dem]

22. There's nothing to argue against.

Your OP makes no sense.

[lamp_shade]

5. Feigning indignation >

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x426204

[stray cat]

9. He was elected - we all knew about the two wars - chess has nothing to do with it

[Dawgs]

10. Huh?

:eyes:

[Peacetrain]

13. Step back and take a breath..

Re read what you posted.. breathe in and breathe out..

[vaberella]

14. Is this the new thing on DU?

Failing sardonic criticism? It reeks of pointlessness.

[WI_DEM]

15. Over 100,000 have come home from Iraq and combat action ending all home next year

He is keeping his promise. Afghanistan has a time table as well.

[VMI Dem]

16. I wouldn't say he owns Iraq. Afghanistan is all his now though.

[saltpoint]

17. Unrec'd. At one point or another, folks need to decide

if the thing out in the yard is a blue heron or a hippo.

There's enough of a distinction between the two to decide, IMO.

[Bragi]

18. My point is this:

1. Obama already stupidly "owns" the Afghanistan war, which cannot and will not be "won". This is, in itself, a self-imposed and unnecessary burden that he will carry into the next election.

2. By making a big show of last night's "Mission Accomplished" speech, and by lauding Bush for his patriotism in doing so, he has set himself up to a) own the unrest and discord that roils just below the surface in Iraq, and that will soon break out into open civil war; and B) he will be forced to either withdraw further, and "lose the peace that Bush built" or ramp up again, and own the results.

Which is to say: last night's speech will eventually be sen for what it is -- a political blunder, and looming political disaster.

Was there an alternative?

Yes, of course. He could have a) seriously questioned the Afghan mission and taken steps to get out of there rather than escalate that war, and b) just shut up about Iraq, do the draw-down, and bring the troops home while expressing hope (but not optimism) about the future of Iraq on its own.

In other words, he could have accepted the mantle most voters gave him as a "peace President" instead of becoming yet another dreary "war President."

A nice day to all :)

- B

[Sheepshank]

23. good gowd...there was no "Mission Accomplished" message in his speech.

People are seriously making this stuff up...here, let me repeat something Obama ACTUALLY said

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_obama

President Barack Obama marked the end of the nation's combat mission in Iraq on Tuesday without declaring victory, winding down the U.S. role in a war he considered a terrible mistake.

<snip>

"It's not going to be a victory lap," Obama said earlier in the day at Fort Bliss,

[Dawgs]

29. +1. Some here are just desperate.

Some days it's like watching Fox News.

[Radical Activist]

19. Owns? Does he have a title and receipt?

Can we return them and get a refund?

[Clio the Leo]

20. You're not counting Korea?

Or is your outraged confined only to 21st century conflicts?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

21. Obama is POTUS, so he will be responsible for dealing with whatever happens now

That being said, what happened to Iraq from 2003 onward should forever be hung like an albatross around the necks of Bush, Cheney, their (mis-)administration, the Republican Party, Fox News, and every other single person who aggressively promoted and pushed for our invasion/occupation thereof. I don't know about anybody else but I don't plan on blaming Obama or holding him *responsible* for what happens over there because it all leads back to what Bush,Cheney, et. al kicked up by (unnecessarily) invading/occupying the country in the first place. I DO credit with Obama for not keeping us there indefinitely and bringing everything to a responsible close and not keeping us stuck there for 100 years like McCain once famously suggested that he would be willing to do.

[geek tragedy]

24. What was he supposed to do, withdraw the troops and pretend

that they had never been there?

You sound like you want US troops to stay in Iraq.

[Aramchek]

25. I guess you would rather he started a fresh war than end an old one, huh?

[tallahasseedem]

27. Unrecommended...

ridiculous.

[CakeGrrl]

30. WTF are you talking about?

If the wars were not over by Bush's term, then the incoming President "inherits" them. Period.

Who DIDN'T understand that?

[Steely_Dan]

31. I Hate To Say It....

But sometimes I think that this administration is just playing everything by ear. It's almost as if they are feeling their way around... Is this a lack of experience...or what?

[Phx_Dem]

32. WTF does chess have to do with the wars that Obama DID NOT start.

And he always claimed he would pull troops out of Iraq and focus more on Afganistan.

He has done exactly what he said he was and there is no chess involved. The chess references were about political strategies during the primary and election.

How lame are you, eh?

[golfguru]

33. Obama does NOT own Iraq war, but is responsible for escalating Afghan

war. Obama has done draw down of troops in Iraq since the day
he took office. No way he owns Iraq war which was the most stupid
war ever started by US Govt.

As for Afghanistan, Obama is simply fulfilling his campaign promise to
root out Al Qaeda and Taliban from Afghanistan. He gave orders to surge
the number of troops and therefore assumed responsibility for that war.

[BootinUp]

34. Sort of comes with the job, don't you think? nt