By Rolf Yungclas ——Bio and Archives--August 11, 2014
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"To begin withdrawing before our commanders tell us we're ready would be dangerous for Iraq, for the region and for the United States. It would mean surrendering the future of Iraq to Al Qaida.
"It'd mean that we'd be risking mass killings on a horrific scale. It'd mean we'd allow the terrorists to establish a safe haven in Iraq to replace the one they lost in Afghanistan. It'd mean we'd be increasing the probability that American troops would have to return at some later date to confront an enemy that is even more dangerous. The fight in Iraq is part of a broader struggle that's unfolding across the region."So, on Saturday, August 9, 2014, President Obama had to hold a press conference right before leaving for his vacation in Martha's Vineyard in order to explain how he is dealing with the disastrous consequences of the complete US withdrawal from Iraq. The final question that he answered was: "Do you have any second thoughts about pulling all the ground troops out of Iraq and does it give you pause as the US is doing the same thing in Afghanistan?" Mr. Obama then began explaining that "under the previous administration we had turned over the country to a sovereign, democratically elected Iraqi government." But as late as October 21, 2011, Obama was still claiming the credit for the agreement that established the removal of all US forces from Iraq: "After taking office, I announced a new strategy that would end our combat mission in Iraq and remove all of our troops by the end of 2011."
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Rolf Yungclas is a recently retired newspaper editor from southwest Kansas who has been speaking out on the issues of the day in newspapers and online for over 15 years