Republicans Blast Obama on Iraq Withdrawal

After nine years, a trillion-plus dollars, tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians killed, and  nearly 5,000 U.S. and Coalition lives lost, Barack Obama announced on Friday that the United States would take the flowers, chocolate, and "thank you, liberators" greeting cards, which we were promised by Dick Cheney, in a doggy-bag and get the hell out of Dodge (also Diyala, and Fallujah, and Baghdad)…

Obama's statement put an end to months of wrangling over whether the U.S. would maintain a force in Iraq beyond 2011. He never mentioned the tense and ultimately fruitless negotiations with Iraq over whether to keep several thousand U.S. forces in Iraq as a training force and a hedge against meddling from Iran or other outside forces…

"I can report that, as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year," Obama said.

Naturally, the 2012 presidential contenders are standing behind the Commander in Chief. With a shiv in hand.

Mitt Romney called the withdrawal an "astonishing failure," the result of either a "naked political calculation or sheer ineptitude."  Senator Lindsey Graham said the decision would "haunt our country." Foreign policy maven Herman Cain described Obama's approach as "dumb." But leave it to Michele Bachmann to propose a new Reverse Pottery Barn Rule Foreign Policy Doctrine…

"I believe that Iraq should reimburse the United States fully for the amount of money that we have spent to liberate these people," said Rep. Bachmann in an appearance Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation." "They are not a poor country, they are a wealthy country."

Yes, how dare a country with a per capita income of $3,600 not compensate the United States for the privilege of having their nation ravaged by an invasion and mismanaged occupation?

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Tags: Barack Obama, Herman Cain, International Affairs, Iraq, Lindsey Graham, Michele Bachmann, Military, Mitt Romney, Republicans

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Tags: Debates, Iraq, Michele Bachmann, Primaries, Republicans, Tweet Untweet, Twitter

Stephen Colbert on Allen West's Pithy Takedown of Debbie Wasserman Shultz

"Let me make myself perfectly clear, you want a personal fight, I am happy to oblige. You are the most vile, unprofessional ,and despicable member of the US House of Representatives." – Allen West

Do mine ears deceive me or doth I recognize a paraphrasing of the Bard there?

The Colbert Report airs Monday through Thursday at 11:30pm / 10:30c.

Tags: Allen West, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, House of Representatives, Iraq, Military, Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report, Video

Mitt Romney Forgets About Three of the Three Non-Wars Were Not Un-In

Fort what it's worth, I don't think that what Mitt Romney said about the U.S. currently being in "peace time" was a gaffe. I believe the phrase is "system error"…

The Colbert Report airs Monday through Thursday at 11:30/10:30c.

Tags: Afghanistan, Economy, Haley Barbour, Iraq, Libya, Military, Mississippi, Mitt Romney, Primaries, Republicans, Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report, Video

Gary Johnson Announces He's Running for President of Nochanceistan

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, who — despite having such traditionally conservative political views as favoring legalized marijuana, marriage equality and not nation-building in the Middle East — considers himself a Republican announced this morning, via Twitter, that he is running for president…

You really have to wonder what this guy's end game is. He's the kind of politician who I can actually imagine me and my progressive friends voting for over Obama — who, for the record, is opposed to all three of those things listed above — which means that he clearly has no chance of winning the GOP nomination whatsoever.

Look at the Brundlefly monster that McCain's avarice turned himself into back in '08. Look at the cartoon characters that formerly semi-reasonable moderates like Romney, Giuliani and Trump have become in their quests for the twisted favor of Republican base.

Look at Sarah Palin.

What makes this obviously hopeless pursuit worth the time of a businessman like Johnson? Or is he actually so deluded that he thinks he can actually win?

In which case, maybe he does have a place in the GOP field.

(via The Raw Story)

Tags: Afghanistan, Gary Johnson, Iraq, Marijuana, Marriage Equality, Middle East, Military, Primaries, Republicans, Twitter