Iraq: Reactions to President Obama’s Speech

Last night, President Barack Obama gave a speech from the Oval Office that declared the end of combat operations in Iraq (transcript). Reactions to the speech were varied. At Commentary, Jennifer Rubin describes the President’s reiteration of the deadline for withdrawal in Afghanistan and his remarks on the economy as, “…unhelpful, ungracious, and downright inaccurate…”, while Nick Gillespie at Reason laments that, “Politics is a marathon game of blaming the guy before you and kicking the can down the road until the next guy comes along…”. In an example of strange bedfellows, William Kristol remarks, “I thought his speech was on the whole commendable, and even at times impressive.” Joe Klein looks beyond the domestic reaction: “You can bet that the commitments he made to the Iraqis will be front page news in Baghdad tomorrow…”. Internationally, the BBC provides a comprehensive round up of reactions from figures in the region, human rights groups, and the United Nations.