March 19, 2003 — I can remember it clear as day. I was in the family minivan on the way home from school. My mom told my brother and I that our country’s president, George W. Bush, would be announcing war against Iraq that night. When we arrived at home, I saw that my mom had hung the American flag in our front yard. At the tender age of nine, I didn’t fully understand the power and impact that day would have on my country. Just a year and a half earlier, I stood in a friend’s living room in Albuquerque, N.M. watching explosions on the television, not knowing that my generation was being forever changed.

Obama announces withdrawal

Now eight long years after America first bombed Baghdad, the war still drags on and Americans are still dying. Obama announced on Oct. 21 that there would be a total withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, with the exception of a small amount left for training and guarding the embassy. Is it time to leave a war that America has invested so much in? Is Barack Obama finally living up to the “hope” and “change” that he promised us?

Honestly, I believe the time has come for the American army to count their wins and leave. Without a doubt, America entered Iraq for a reason that didn’t exist. Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, that point cannot be argued. We entered Iraq believing they had weapons of mass destruction and they did not. Entering Iraq was not just the Bush Administration’s decision; both the House and the Senate voted to approve an American invasion if Saddam Hussein refused to give up his supposed weapons of mass destruction.

Fulfilling promises

When Obama ran for president, he promised that he would pull the troops out of Iraq, but he failed to acknowledge that he didn’t have a choice on the issue. In 2008, President Bush signed the Status of Forces Agreement that agreed with the Iraqi government that American troops would leave Iraq before Jan. 1, 2012. Now, as Obama engages in full campaign mode, he cannot only say he was responsible for the death of Osama Bin Laden and influential in the take down of Muammar Gaddafi, but he can claim he ended the war in Iraq.

“And we ended the war in Iraq as we promised, because it was time for us to bring our troops home and focus on rebuilding America,” Obama recently stated at a campaign event in Denver, Colo. He can claim that he fulfilled his campaign promise, even though he has failed to deliver on such promises as “hope” and “change.” The war ending has nothing to do with Obama.

Putting aside the fact that credit for the end of the war is being given to the wrong place, the main question at hand is whether or not the war has been worth it all. I truthfully don’t know whether or not the Iraq war was a success. It definitely has its pluses, from taking Saddam Hussein out of power to limiting the power and influence of Iran and the Al-Qaida in the country. But the war has also had its major negative costs. According to Eli Clifton, over 4,000 American soldiers were killed and $806 billion dollars in federal funding spent on a war with unfounded intentions, according to The New Civil Rights Movement blog. Is that a success?

Supporting America’s military

As Americans, if we disagree with the war, we must do it in a respectful manner, because so many men and women gave their lives to it. I believe President Obama said it best in his address to the nation a few weeks ago regarding the end of the war.

“The last American soldier[s] will cross the border out of Iraq with their heads held high, proud of their success, and knowing that the American people stand united in our support for our troops. That is how America’s military efforts in Iraq will end,” he said.

There has been too much put into the war for Americans to stand up and say it was a waste.

The fact that the war in Iraq is coming to an end is positive. I will not speak against the war, because I truly believe that there have been sizeable outcomes because of our troops in Iraq. But the time has come to pull out the majority of our troops and begin to refocus our efforts on Al Qaeda.

“The tide of war is receding. The draw down in Iraq allowed us to refocus our fight against Al Qaeda and achieve major victories against its leadership — including Osama bin Laden,” Obama said.

It is great that the war is finally coming to an end, but as the coming elections approach, it is vital to remember that pulling out of Iraq has nothing to do with Obama. He is simply honoring an agreement that was set up before him. He is just the voice. The only thing he is doing is not pursuing an extension, a decision that I think is wise. It is also vital to remember that, as Americans, we must stand in support of our country and in support of the troops that have given their lives for our freedom.