Washington: Over and over, the Iraq war is over.
President Barack Obama, who opposed the war all the way to the White House, can't remind people enough that he is the one ending the conflict and getting every last troop home.
He is not just commander in chief intent on lauding the valour of the military. He is a president seeking re-election and soaking up every chance to mark a promise kept.
On Wednesday at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, a post that sent thousands of troops to Iraq and saw more than 200 of them die there, Obama summoned glory and gravity. In a speech full of pride in American fighting forces, Obama declared to soldiers that the, "war in Iraq will soon belong to history, and your service belongs to the ages."
If the thought sounded familiar, it was because Obama has essentially been declaring an end since the start of his term.
‘Time to turn the page'
Every milestone allows him to reach all those voters who opposed the unpopular war, including liberals in his party, whose enthusiasm he must reignite to win a second term.
There was the speech in Camp Lejeune, NC, back in February 2009, when he said: "Let me say this as plainly as I can: By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end." When that mission did end, Obama held a rare Oval Office address to the nation to celebrate the moment and declare: "It's time to turn the page."
In the last two months, Obama has taken three more swings at it, all of them commanding the attention the White House wanted.
In October, from the press briefing room: "As promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year."
On Monday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki at his side: "This is a historic moment. A war is ending." On Wednesday to troops: "Iraq's future will be in the hands of its people. America's war in Iraq will be over."
