Some people warned of this "mess"...

[ljm2002]

16. Your analysis is flawed...

...either we recognize a government or we don't. If we do, then we also recognize their right to sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The duly-elected government of Iraq told us we had to respect the withdrawal date (a date that was set by the Bush administration BTW) and withdraw our troops. One big reason for that is we would not agree to have our soldiers and contractors bound by any Iraqi authority -- which was unacceptable to them after some of the shit pulled by BlackWater mercenaries.

So now the neocons want to blame Obama for doing what Bush's crew had agreed to. And they also want to blame him for doing something about this current problem. Furthermore, they would blame him for NOT doing something in the current situation. That is why what the neocons think of Obama's actions are 100% irrelevant: they will blame him for ANYTHING he does, or does not do.

As pointed out above, had Obama decided to stay in Iraq against that government's wishes, all hell would have broken loose here at home for that decision, especially when some of the occupying US soldiers were inevitably killed.

There are no easy answers here, but one thing is certain: even at this late date, this tragic "mess" belongs SQUARELY to the Bush/Cheney administration. THEY broke it and they did so carelessly and recklessly and they ought to be tried and convicted for war crimes. Which of course will never happen but hey, a girl can dream.

Yes, anyone can honestly argue against the conservatives who say that "Obama should not have listened to the Iraqi government". What a twisted position that is.