Sincere –

Tonight marks the end of the American combat mission in Iraq.

As a candidate for this office, I pledged to end this war responsibly. And, as President, that is what I am doing.

Since I became Commander-in-Chief, we’ve brought home nearly 100,000 U.S. troops. We’ve closed or turned over to Iraq hundreds of our bases.

As Operation Iraqi Freedom ends, our commitment to a sovereign, stable, and self-reliant Iraq continues. Under Operation New Dawn, a transitional force of U.S. troops will remain to advise and assist Iraqi forces, protect our civilians on the ground, and pursue targeted counterterrorism efforts.

By the end of next year, consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, these men and women, too, will come home.

Ending this war is not only in Iraq’s interest — it is in our own. Our nation has paid a huge price to put Iraq’s future in the hands of its people. We have sent our men and women in uniform to make enormous sacrifices. We have spent vast resources abroad in the face of several years of recession at home.

We have met our responsibility through the courage and resolve of our women and men in uniform.

In seven years, they confronted a mission as challenging and as complex as any our military has ever been asked to face.

Nearly 1.5 million Americans put their lives on the line. Many returned for multiple tours of duty, far from their loved ones who bore a heroic burden of their own. And most painfully, more than 4,400 Americans have given their lives, fighting for people they never knew, for values that have defined our people for more than two centuries.

What their country asked of them was not small. And what they sacrificed was not easy.

For that, each and every American owes them our heartfelt thanks.

Our promise to them — to each woman or man who has donned our colors — is that our country will serve them as faithfully as they have served us. We have already made the largest increase in funding for veterans in decades. So long as I am President, I will do whatever it takes to fulfill that sacred trust.

Tonight, we mark a milestone in our nation’s history. Even at a time of great uncertainty for so many Americans, this day and our brave troops remind us that our future is in our own hands and that our best days lie ahead.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

Blogging While Black | Comments (0)

Andrew Breitbart. This Guy is a perfect example of how bloggers that think they are journalists can ruin not only the credibility of other bloggers but people’s lives. So he says that he wasn’t aiming at Shirley Sherrod but at the NAACP and their racist views. Whatever.

He totally cut and pasted her speech in a way that paints her as a racist and now that he’s been caught refuses to back down. His credibility is shot so he might as well give it up right? Wrong! Think again.

I think that he was wrong and that the USDA, the secretary of Agriculture and even someone at the white house was wrong and jumped the gun on asking for her resignation. I think that they should have viewed the speech in its entirety as well as looked at her track record before making such a major decision like that. I cannot believe that they would ask for her to resign without even looking at the entire speech. Nothing against bloggers put there that report accurate information but I double check major accredited news sources so why didn’t anyone Check this Guy’s credibility? I’m confused. This is not the first time that he’s done this either.

This just shows that bloggers have a voice and when that voice is not used correctly then it can be damaging.

Blogging While Black | Comments (0)