The conservative Republican pastor in Illinois writes: "On Friday, President Obama announced plans to have all U.S. troops out of Iraq by January 1. After nine years of service and sacrifice to our great nation and the Iraqi people, our brave men and women will be 'home for the holidays.'"
He continues his commentary: "In 2008, President Bush negotiated the Status-Of-Forces-Agreement (SOFA). The SOFA acknowledged that U.S. combat forces in Iraq were required to withdraw from Iraqi cities, villages and localities no later than June 30, and it called for a complete withdrawal of forces by Dec. 31, 2011. It is clear from the SOFA that our troops were set to come home by January 1, 2012: with or without Obama’s intervention. In fact, President Obama wanted to maintain a residual force to train Iraqi troops, but was unable to successfully negotiate legal immunity for American troops in Iraqi courts."
More commentary from Mr. Hayes: "So after suffering 4,800 of our service members killed in combat operations and more than 32,000 others wounded, Friday’s announcement should have been an American moment. Instead, in typical Obama-esque fashion, the president took credit for something he deserves no credit for. Friday was a chance for the president to show statesmanship by crediting Bush’s surge and timetable during his announcement to bring our troops home. For a president who never fails to remind us of the problems he 'inherited' from the previous administration, he has no problem taking credit for its successes."
Isaac Hayes: "Obama Takes Credit For Bush's Withdrawal"
