President Obama's Iraq Withdrawal Speech: 'Mission Accomplished 2'?

(Aug. 2) -- Talk about a tough crowd. Hours before President Barack Obama was set to give a speech proudly announcing the withdrawal of "all combat troops in Iraq" by the end of August, commentators around the Web had already thoroughly chastised him for his pre-released remarks.

Though the text of the president's speech steered notably clear of the "mission accomplished" lingo of his predecessor -- emphasizing that the American "commitment in Iraq is changing," not ending, with some 50,000 troops expected to remain on the ground come September, down from a high of 177,000 in January, according to the Associated Press -- many writers still couldn't resist bringing up Bush to bash Obama.

And indeed, as if on tragic cue, a fresh round of violence rocked Iraq on Monday, where the country's fragile ruling coalition still hasn't moved forward on nominating a new premier, five months after the national elections wrapped up. Coupled with an increasingly dire outlook on the situation in Afghanistan (despite the president's recent statements to the contrary), the overall reaction to the news could be summed up as "skeptical" at best and downright cynical at worst.

Blogosphere

"Politically, the speech is likely an effort to draw attention to a largely unheralded success as criticism of the increasingly bloody war in Afghanistan mounts, particularly within his own party." -- Joshua Keating, Foreign Policy

"Iraq doesn't have a stable government right now -- but he still plans to make the announcement to a bunch of veterans today. He will not, however, declare "Mission Accomplished." Probably a smart political move on his part, guys." -- Ernie Smith, ShortFormBlog

"Obama plans to hold several 'similar events in coming weeks to draw attention to the transition in Iraq,' which is 'one of his most important if largely unheralded decisions.' A decision, of course, that was made possible by his predecessor, George W. Bush. Obama will probably give Bush credit for this, right?... Oh. Well, he probably implies it somewhere." -- Dan Amira, New York magazine Daily Intel

"Bullcrap. He voted against funding the war and said in 2007 that it was lost. Barack Obama opposed the Surge. The Surge worked. Now he takes credit for it." -- Don Surber, the Daily Mail

"Since the GOP and many Americans have been blaming him for the war, we wonder if he'll get credit for keeping his word and ending it. Nah." -- Nsenga K. Burton, the Root

Twitter

Today Obama will announce the end of US major combat in Iraq and the return of US soldiers from Iraq. Remind you of someone? Think hard!less than a minute ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®collitics
Collitics

Is he gonna wear the flight suit? #historyrepeatsitself RT @pwire: Obama will announce end of combat operations in Iraq this monthless than a minute ago via SocialScopeTim Fenton
capitolization

Obama will leave 50k troops in Iraq until the end of 2011. Breaking his 16-month campaign promise and adopting Bush's Plan. @pwireless than a minute ago via webMr Mercandetti
DefendoLibertas

Media won't show you what's really going on in Iraq, thanks to U.S.! INSPIRING. http://bit.ly/bNfowfless than a minute ago via AddToAnyDonna Lynn
ProudlyWeHail

Blasts in Iraq on Day of Obama's Speech: Two bombings and a drive-by shooting killed eight people in Iraq on a day... http://bit.ly/b1L3Ztless than a minute ago via twitterfeedDjilani Houssein
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