War in Iraq ends with unfinished business, Obama supporters say

WASHINTON DC --Carol Forsloff --"Tonight, I’d like to talk to you about the end of our combat mission in
Iraq, the ongoing security challenges we face, and the need to rebuild
our nation here at home," may have ended the Iraq war but not the one about values at home.



In his speech on Tuesday night,  President Barack Obama underlined the
fulfillment of his promise to bring troops home from Iraq.  But for many
people who elected him there has been, and remains, unfinished
business.

What do liberals and those who hoped for change from Obama say they
wanted and continue to want from his administration?  From Hawaii to
Louisiana, the people who elected Obama were looking for real change.
For someone like Willy Jones in Hawaii that change means holding people
to account.

Jones, a combat veteran of the Vietnamese war who won many medals for
his service,  says, "I wanted Dick Cheney and Wolfolwitz brought in on
war crimes; I want Bush's shredding of the constitution exposed
publically, I want out of Afghanistan,NOW.  I'm pissed at Obama and his
entire communications team for playing defense all the time ."

On the opposite side of the country, in Florida, Gordie Hayduk, who
claims he is a descendant of those who came to America on the Mayflower,
believes the way to take people to task and save the nation at the same
time from itself is to have an Article V convention.  That would allow
people to make amendments to the Constitution and thrash out their
differences, he explains.

"The
government can't fool all of the people all the time, but in a
democracy that's not necessary. In a democracy all the government has to
do is fool most of the people most of the time, and if the controlled
media and the government are working together that's easy."  Hayduk's
sentiments can be seen at the end of his email communications,
underlining his frustration that lawful ways of moving the country ahead
have been ignored, not just by Bush but by Obama too.

In his speech in the oval office on Tuesday night President Obama
continued:  "Ending this war is not only in Iraq’s interest -- it’s in
our own.  The United States has paid a huge price to put the future of
Iraq in the hands of its people.  We have sent our young men and women
to make enormous sacrifices in Iraq, and spent vast resources abroad at a
time of tight budgets at home.  We’ve persevered because of a belief we
share with the Iraqi people -- a belief that out of the ashes of war, a
new beginning could be born in this cradle of civilization.  Through
this remarkable chapter in the history of the United States and Iraq, we
have met our responsibility.  Now, it’s time to turn the page."

Turning the page sweeping under the rug and denies serious abuses, is
the argument people make who supported Obama's election.  They say
those who lied about the war and abused the constitution should be held
to account.   They continue to assert that not bringing people to
justice sets bad precedent and shows the potential for abuses to
continue.

In fact there have been reports that the United States continues to
allow the torture of prisoners in countries as a pact to obtain
information about terrorists. Amnesty International continues to ask for
investigations into the torture taking place at the behest of the
American government.  This is reported even as Eric Holder, Attorney
General of the United States, promised torture would end.

What does Obama want his constitutuents to do in response to ending the
war?  He said this with regard to moving on from political quarrels
about the war in Iraq during his statements last night:

"As we do, I’m
mindful that the Iraq war has been a contentious issue at home.  Here,
too, it’s time to turn the page.  This afternoon, I spoke to former
President George W. Bush.  It’s well known that he and I disagreed about
the war from its outset.  Yet no one can doubt President Bush’s support
for our troops, or his love of country and commitment to our security.
As I’ve said, there were patriots who supported this war, and patriots
who opposed it.  And all of us are united in appreciation for our
servicemen and women, and our hopes for Iraqis’ future.

The greatness
of our democracy is grounded in our ability to move beyond our
differences, and to learn from our experience as we confront the many
challenges ahead.  And no challenge is more essential to our security
than our fight against al Qaeda."



The mission of fighting Al Qaeda remains, something all sides of the
political spectrum declare support.  But people like Jones and Hayduk,
and others like them,  wonder whether the lives, the thousands injured,
and the reputation of the country sullied are worth the sacrifices made.


On the other side, conservatives look at the wars demise without praise
for Obama's efforts at ending it, but escalate criticism in increasingly
strident ways.


The war's end was promised but across the political spectrum the
factions continue to be divided on Obama's management of the war in his
18 months in office.