President Obama thanked ''civilians'' for their "sacrifices" and ''service'' in Iraq.

[Octafish]

He also thanked the nation's men and women in uniform for their sacrifice and service.
I am all for giving thanks to them: They volunteered to defend the United States out of patriotism.

The problem is blurring the lines of who's who and what's what when it comes to matters of war.
Specifically, American civilians in Iraq are largely the mercenaries and contractors there to make a buck.



What the president said at a presser with Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki:

...So this is a historic moment. A war is ending. A new day is upon us. And let us never forget those who gave us this chance -- the untold number of Iraqis who've given their lives; more than one million Americans, military and civilian, who have served in Iraq; nearly 4,500 fallen Americans who gave their last full measure of devotion; tens of thousands of wounded warriors, and so many inspiring military families. They are the reason that we can stand here today. And we owe it to every single one of them -- we have a moral obligation to all of them -- to build a future worthy of their sacrifice...

Here's the link to the official White House transcript:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/12/12/remarks-president-obama-and-prime-minister-al-maliki-iraq-joint-press-co

I have a problem with blurring the distinction. Apart from the civilians in government service (State Department, CIA, and so on), the contractors are not there out of patriotism. Like their corporate paymasters -- such as Halliburton, Blackwater and DynCorp -- they did it for the money.

[grasswire]

1. Did he happen to mention the people like the daughter of Michael Ledeen, who were there to...

...pass out the money after the invasion? Ledeen's daughter, who is a bona fide Freeper, was one of those young peeps who "administered" the early part of the occupation -- remember -- the time when billions of dollars went missing or were simply unaccounted for.

[Octafish]

2. Bad money after bad.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x167786

Bremer proves working for Kissinger is golden.

http://www.democrats.com/who-lost-iraq-henry-kissinger

And the billions turn into trillions.

[Octafish]

3. In Iraq, the Job Opportunity of a Lifetime

D'oh. Forgot to include the thing about Simone and all the puke suck-ups wot got the primo jobs helping out in the Green Zone and such:

[font size="1"]Simone Ledeen greets John Hanley at Dulles International Airport on Monday upon his return from Iraq.
Ledeen came home in March. (Susan Biddle -- The Washington Post)[/font size]



In Iraq, the Job Opportunity of a Lifetime

Managing a $13 Billion Budget With No Experience

By Ariana Eunjung Cha
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, May 23, 2004; Page A01

BAGHDAD -- It was after nightfall when they finally found their offices at Saddam Hussein's Republican Palace -- 11 jet-lagged, sweaty, idealistic volunteers who had come to help Iraq along the road to democracy.

When the U.S. government went looking for people to help rebuild Iraq, they had responded to the call. They supported the war effort and President Bush. Many had strong Republican credentials. They were in their twenties or early thirties and had no foreign service experience. On that first day, Oct. 1, they knew so little about how things worked that they waited hours at the airport for a ride that was never coming. They finally discovered the shuttle bus out of the airport but got off at the wrong stop.

Occupied Iraq was just as Simone Ledeen had imagined -- ornate mosques, soldiers in formation, sand blowing everywhere, "just like on TV." The 28-year-old daughter of neoconservative pundit Michael Ledeen and a recently minted MBA, she had arrived on a military transport plane with the others and was eager to get to work.

They had been hired to perform a low-level task: collecting and organizing statistics, surveys and wish lists from the Iraqi ministries for a report that would be presented to potential donors at the end of the month. But as suicide bombs and rocket attacks became almost daily occurrences, more and more senior staffers defected. In short order, six of the new young hires found themselves managing the country's $13 billion budget, making decisions affecting millions of Iraqis.

CONTINUED...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A48543-2004May22?language=printer

PS: Thank you for the kind reminder, Grawss-san! Remember that confab where only those nations committed to the cause would get contracts in New Iraq?

U.S. Bars Iraq Contracts for Nations That Opposed War http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/09/international/middleeast/09CND-DIPL.html

Such a lovely war. I mean "opportunity."

[grasswire]

4. thank you for finding that story about Simone Ledeen

She, a Freeper, actually posted on freerepublic from Iraq. I wonder if the IRS has any handle on her lifestyle -- is she living above it? Those young MBAs who administered the billions of dollars in early Iraq. What kind of cars are they driving now? Where do they shop?

[RobertEarl]

5. it will finally be over on New years eve

here where i live we will be holding a solemn celebration of that fact. the party has decided to have a candlelight vigil to commemorate the end of this war. is anyone else thinking of doing the same?

[Octafish]

6. I applaud President Obama on withdrawing from Iraq.

The thing is, the Iraqis asked him to, as part of the 2008 "U.S.-Iraq Security Agreement."

PS: A hearty welcome to DU, RobertEarl! Will be thinking of you on New Year's. Peace to You and Yours!