Obama's Iraq War Endgame Doesn't Mean Job Is Over

In 18 months, President Obama plans to give America what it hoped it had six years ago-its "Mission Accomplished" moment in Iraq.Obama announced Friday his plan to end combat operations in Iraq by the end of August 2010, saying the goal of a "sovereign, stable and self-reliant" Iraq is achievable. Senior officials said the war, effectively, will end before Labor Day next year.But even supporters of the plan warn that any success in Iraq is fragile. And even if the war is over, the job still is far from done.President Bush was accused of prematurely declaring victory in May 2003, when he gave a speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in front of a banner that read "Mission Accomplished." As for the headline on Aug. 31, 2010, it may be more like "Mission Accomplished" with an asterisk."It's not a mission accomplished day until the Iraqi people are completely able to defend themselves and their international borders without any international assistance," retired Army Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis said."There's a temptation to say it's all done, we don't have to worry about what's going on.But we do,"he said.Some analysts warn that U.S. involvement will be necessary for years to come.That obligation is reflected in the administration's withdrawal plan.Obama would not only retain the flexibility to slow down or reverse the withdrawals if conditions deteriorate, but he also will keep up to 50,000 troops as a residual force in Iraq after the deadline.The White House says combat brigades will be gone, but "advisory and assistance brigades"will stay.Their mission is to train and advise Iraqi forces, conduct targeted counter-terrorism missions and protect the ongoing civilian and military efforts in the country.And although Obama said he intends to abide by the Status of Forces Agreement requiring the removal of all U.S. troops by the end of 2011, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday he envisions keeping a small contingent of U.S. troops in Iraq even after the 2011 deadline.There is a clause in the agreement that allows for a prolonged U.S. presence if the Iraqis request it and if the U.S. agrees."My own view would be that we should be prepared to have some very modest-sized presence for training and helping them with their new equipment and providing, perhaps, intelligence support and so on beyond that," Gates said.Maginnis told FOXNews.com he expects the Iraqis to request an extension of U.S. presence after 2011, since they still need help in training to protect their Syrian and Iranian borders...

FOX News' Greg Palkot and Justin Fishel and FOXNews.com's Judson Berger contributed to this report.
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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/02/27/obama-iraq-plan-end-war-complete-mission/
As in the days of Noah....