OPINION:
The Democratic Party platform proffers an egregious lie by claiming responsibility for ending the war in Iraq. President Obama compounds it by touting the end of the war as a campaign promise kept.
July 2007 heralded the Democrats’ last noteworthy Iraq involvement when then-Sen. Barack Obama and his compatriots co-sponsored the unsuccessful Levin-Reed Amendment, demanding that most troops leave by April 2008. Passage would have precluded the achievements they now embrace.
Beginning in 2007 with the “Anbar Awakening” and throughout 2008, the Iraqi people and leaders experienced deliverance from lives dominated by terrorists stalking them and their families. Sustained U.S. troop presence promoted the environment that allowed Iraqis to witness the ascendance of national institutions providing personal and material security.
President George W. Bush’s November 2008 Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), not Democratic initiatives, defined the endgame for Iraq involvement. The Democrats and Mr. Obama did not choose the timeline for U.S. combat brigade departures. SOFA required withdrawal from cities, villages and localities by June 30, 2009. SOFA, not the Democrats and Obama, required all U.S. forces to withdraw from Iraq territory by Dec, 31, 2011.
Clearly, ending the war in Iraq was Mr. Bush’s “fault.”
NOLAN NELSON
Eugene, Ore.
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