you well you know people say can he end the war with i don't know if you end this war the united states came in and change the war there was always a warning iraq it was saddam laying the smack down the shia and the kurds of the united states comes in and we empower a secular shia leader and maliki so you know. that's that's that's sort of you know what we did and so the words always going to be there now and we're going to tackle what our troops face i think is dangerous what the president said today because as we pull out the troops that have controlled the sectors the areas like parts of baghdad we still have to register which is move all of our military equipment from baghdad let's say down the quaids to the ports so there's a chance we're still going to lose american troops in iraq next year and so i think it's easier to make that speech unfortunately i think the president's been given a free pass in iraq since day one since he was a candidate yes it was against the iraq war yes he was a state senator and chicago speaking in a district where it was highly unpopular support the war he never made a vote in congress and we've seen what he's d

the bottom line is this -- the war is ending. like any independent nation, iraqs own course. by the end of next year, all of our troops will be home. as we mark the end of america's combat mission in iraq, a grateful nation must pay tribute to all those who served there. because part of ending this war is meeting our responsibility to those who fought it. the wars in iraq in afghanistan now make up america's longest continuous combat engagement. for the better part of a decade, our troops and their families have served tour and tour with honor and heroism, risking and often giving their lives. more than 1 million americans in uniform have served in iraq, far more than any conflict since vietnam. more than 1 million who have served in both wars have now finished their service and joined the pro ranks of america's veterans. what this new generation of veterans must know is that our nation's commitment to them is a sacred trust that is as old as our republic itself. it is one that as president i consider all moral obligation to uphold. at the same time, these are ne

my second time and the london bureau chief was it during the iraq war. the bbc had some very aggressive coverage which was more critical in the run-up to the iraq war than what was here in the u.s. that was very helpful, journalistically. there was one point, after a correspondent published what i thought was a very helpful piece about the sexing up of the data from the blair administration, error by and saying that it was perfect information that was perfectly frigid purposely issued, the governor general and chairman of directors at the board of the bbc were forced to resign, a very telling moment meaning the government, even in a country like britain, we are not used to it in the united states and it raises the question of if we're going to a more publicly funded system, how do we make sure that the ultimate -- autonomy of journalists is maintained. >> so, let's stay on that note a little bit. "the oakland tribune" fell on hard times. how you think about the government stepping in? >> i agree with my colleague, but let's talk about how we get there. we

the vietnam war forty years ago. first it was the u.s. troops killing civilians and journalists in iraq now more than ninety thousand classified documents about the war in afghanistan have been obtained by the whistle blowing web site wiki leaks and while this is being called the biggest leak in intelligence history this isn't the first time that important military information has been released to the process in public i'm here with neil sheehan former new york times reporter who released the famous pentagon papers which forever changed the american public's perception of the vietnam war mr she had first of all a lot of people are comparing this story with the pentagon papers story but one major difference between the two is that the source in this case went to a relatively new and modern web site wiki leaks as opposed to in your situation the source came to you working for an established newspaper the new york times what do you think that says about the state of the media today is there any sort of significance we can draw from that especially when it comes to maybe investigative repor

going home -- >> the 1st and the 38th infantry is the last unit to be in iraq, the last combat unit in iraq. >> a bay area soldier puts a face on the war in iraq. he talks exclusively to nbc bay area new as that last battalion rolls out. good evening, i'm jessica aguirre. >> i'm tom sinkovitz. 7 1/2 years after the first usair strike, the last u.s. combat troops are out of iraq with a bay area soldier at the head of the convoy. just hours ago, 4,000 soldiers from the 4th striker brigade drove out of rack in their armored vehicles. they are now in kuwait. so is richard engel, the only american reporter embedded with them as the troops pulled out. >> reporter: a short while ago he watched the last american combat troops crossed through this gate leaving iraq and entering here in kuwait. they were from the 4-2 striker brigade based at ft. lewis in washington state. they call themselves the raiders, and now they have a special place in the history of the iraq war. >> we're going home! >> reporter: they were the last 440 american combat troops to leave iraq and enter kuwait. >> it feels great to know that we were -- that this battalion, the

forces based in europe as part of the nato agreement my point about iraq on why these troops have to leave is it's a sofa agreement president obama did not and the iraq war he has not changed the plan that was given to him by his predecessor but this is ministration has to promote success in iraq because they will continue to face problems in afghanistan that will be the the largest reason why he will be sure to pull these troops out of iraq by the end of two thousand and eleven ok let me ask you this last question because as well as the fifty thousand troops that are being there there's also seven thousand contractors security contractors that are going to be there who are under is probably much higher i mean they are also controlled by the state department and so in essence are these contractors since they're the security guys are they going to be protecting the troops in the ones that are actually fighting and getting that it's interesting you give a seven thousand state department because that's part of the contract is just protecting the state department that doesn't count all the the kellogg brown and root all become the reason we have so many cont

the campaign continues through saturday. >>> it's another milestone for the war in iraq. after nearly 7 1/2 years, there are no combat troops left in that war torn country. under the cover of night, the last remaining fighting forces crossed over iraq's southern border into kuwait for a flight home. >> it was a lot different this time. this time there's finality to it. we're driving out of iraq. we're leaving. peace. we packed the trucks. we're done. we done the handshake, the salute. we're leaving. >> there willstill be a u.s. presence in iraq, however, roughly 56,000 military personnel will stay behind to support and train iraqi forces. the rest of the void is being filled by private security firms. the green zone in downtown baghdad will now be the international zone. >>> here's a look at how the we got to this point. the iraq war began on march 20, 200 #, with the bombing of baghdad. since then 4,415 american service members have died in hostile action. nearly 32,000 american troops have been wounded. there is no confirmed number of iraqi casualties. estimates range fr

iraq" and all your reports. could you start by explaining to us what the wmd-related obligations of iraq were following the conclusion of the 1991 gulf war and the adoption of unscr 871? >> right. yes. they were set out in resolution 687 of 1991 and iraq was to declare its weapons of mass destruction and the logistics of it to the facilities and such. then unscom was to verify the biological and chemical and missile part of the program and the iaea was to verify the nuclear part of the program. both unscom and iaea were to ensure the destruction of items they had found proscribed. the leverage were the sanctions, and the sanctions were quite draconian, simply that no state was allowed to import any oil from iraq. so they were cut off altogether from their income. now the resolution 687 also foresaw that when everything was destroyed and eliminated there would be monitoring by un inspection and there was no time limit set for that. so they assume that the ban on import or weapons would remain for an indefinite period of time. at least it was not decided when. secondly, that monitoring would be there for a very long time. now the means to

iraq come to an end and the u.s. completes it's troop drawdown next week, we have a special look back at our coverage of the iraq war er the last eight years, you can revisit interviews about ethics, just war and many of the moral issues that have been raised by the war in iraq. you can comment on all of our stories and share them, audio and video podcasts are also available and you can follow us on our facebook page. join us at pbs.org. as we leave you, music from the children of all souls episcopal church in new orleans along with mayor mitch landrieu. ♪ i'm going to let it shine ♪ let it shine ♪ let it shine ♪ let it shine >>> major funding for "religion & ethics newsweekly" is provided by the lily endowment, a religious based private foundation with interest in religion, community. individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company.com. also by the henry luce foundation and the corporation for public broadcasting.

the troops who have served and are still serving in iraq. and then announce that the national focus is shifting from the war in iraq to the war in afghanistan. >>> the president and the first lady are in the midst of a ten day to martha's vineyard. the president got in a round of golf today. the vacation is set to end on sunday when the president as you heard a moment ago flies to new orleans to mark the fifth anniversary of hurricane katrina. >>> coming up, there are two new animals at the oakland zoo. both of whom have worked in movies. >>> bart leaders make a big decision about fares today. and the startling amount that bart has spend as a result of the oscar grant shooting. >>> and a plan for ikea that has the public weighs in tonight. woman: did you bring the camera phone? man: i did. do you wanna go first? i've been waiting for this all day. ok, this is from... aunt stacey. introducing chase quickdeposit. just photograph the front and back of your check using the chase mobile app on your iphone, and hit send. it went through. this is so cool. this is so cool. you wanna try it? yea. ok. all right. who's next? make a deposit from anywher

that's right president obama will declare today that he is making good on his promise to end the war in iraq. >>> seven and a half years after the shock and awe campaign that started the iraq war president obama goes to a veteran's convention in atlanta today to say that major combat operations are winding down and all combat troops will be out this month. a transitional force of 50,000 troops will remain to train iraqi police but he says that the u.s. is moving from a military to a civilian effort in iraq and all troops will be out next year. he is also going to talk about beginning to pull troops out of afghanistan next year but republicans are skeptical that will happen. >> generally speaking this time next summer we are still going to be engaged in one hell of a fight. we are going to need every troop we have today i think still in afghanistan next year. >> reporter: this morning's event in atlanta will be the first of several over the next several weeks that president obama is going to use to highlight the transition in iraq. reporting live from washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu chan

war, but do they offer more clarity? debate rages over the wikileaks disclosures. the suspicion is there is more documents. >> we think they may have another 500,000 records from the iraq war from the same period. they may also have 260,000 state department diplomatic cables. >> suspicion has fallen on u.s. private bradley manning. many intelligence experts also suspect another culprit. one is the post 9/11 pushed to share more intelligence to prevent a repeat of the failures. >> we always knew this was a danger where something like this could happen because we have moved into a world in which more and permission is more available to more people. this is the dark side of that virtue. >> the u.s. intelligence industry has mushroomed. an investigation found 854,000 people hold a top-secret clearances. 1200 government organizations work on intelligence issues and 1000 private companies. in the world of cyber security, so much of the focus has been on protecting the system from outside attacks, but the inside job was a combination of the technology, lowering of security barriers and access that gives low level operatives to a vast array of them permission. the failed detro

caller: president bush -- the iraq war was the worst military adventure in my 58 years. my first call to c-span was because of the iraq war. if you listen to the tapes i said for the hearts and minds of our soldiers they should have found weapons of mass destruction but for the hearts and minds of our soldiers there should have been direct contact between saddam hussein and 9/11. as the bush administration professed. and for the hearts and minds of -- there should have been a direct link between al qaeda. the iraq war -- and then this other gentleman who called in other gentleman who called in about the surge, you remember, the democrats took over and the worst offender don rumsfeld, you did not hear them anymore because he disgraced the military. chairman of joint chiefs of staff, colin powell work -- colin powell, disgraced the military when he went to the united nations. general pace and general mires under rumsfeld, they had to resign in disgrace. host: we are talking about your expectations for iraq. the president makes that speech on the situation there and the with

they call themselves the raiders, and now they have a special place in the history of the iraq war. >> we're going home! >> reporter: they were the last 440 american combat troops to leave iraq and enter kuwait. >> it feels great to know that we were -- that this battalion, the first of the 38th infantry, is the last unit to be in iraq, the last combat unit in iraq. >> reporter: the next stop for them is to go to an american military base here in kuwait and then begin their journey home. richard engel, nbc news at the iraq/kuwait border. >>> although combat troops are withdrawing, the u.s. military still has a lot of work to do before it's completely out of iraq. and with more on that, we go to nbc's kristen dahlgren. she joins us now from washington. excuse me. kristen, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, lynn. there were those initial reports that all of the combat troops were out, and then we got word from officials that there actually are 6,000 more remaining but that 4th stryker brigade was the last major combat unit to make it out of the country. the additional 6,000

president has been the emissary to iraq in recent months i think he's using this reminder that he's the president to take u.s. troops out of iraq to continue the same amount of support for his war in afghanistan where the u.s. experienced the biggest loss of the war so far it's a sort of irony that barack obama decided to make this announcement as iraq last month in jordan its worst month of violence for the past two years over five hundred people killed in shootings and bombings across the country so one thing you have of the rock is. of uncertainty and i feel that both in terms of the government's ability to make policy and its ability to secure its own people significantly compromised. and there may be another struggle coming president obama's way after iran's leader challenged him to a face to face t.v. debate it follows a statement by a top u.s. military officer that a strike against iran could not be ruled out more importantly it has the details from new york. we should mention that president ahmadinejad has made this offer and presented this offer in the past in the past few years to obama or into his predecessor george w. bush it is highly unlikely that the president of

the united states has reached a milestone in the nearly 7.5 year war in iraq. eft iraq and crossed the border. we have allison with the latest. >> reporter: good morning. let's get to the video given to us by the defense department overnight. >> it is over. >> reporter: it shows a lot of happy u.s. troops leaving iraq for the last time. this is the 4th stryker brigade rolling into kuwait and on their way home. the commander says they are leaving the country a better place than when the war started more than seven years ago. >> the democratic state. a friend of the united states. >> reporter: now operation new dawn begins. 50,000 u.s. troops will remain for a year. they will focus on rebuilding the country while iraqis take the lead on security. there are looming questions about the stability now of iraq's government. reporting live from washington d.c., allison burn ktvu channel 2 news. >> the iraq war begin on march 20, 2003 with the bombing of baghdad. nearly 32,000 have been wounded in the war. there is no confirmed number of iraqi casualties. estimates range

president has been the emissary to iraq in recent months i think he's using this remind that he's the president to take u.s. troops out of iraq to tinney the same amount of support for his war in afghanistan where last month the u.s. experienced the biggest loss of the war so far it's a sort of irony that barack obama decided to make this announcement as iraq last month enjoy its worst month of violence for the past two years over five hundred people killed in shootings and bombings across the country so one thing you have in the rock is. of uncertainty and i feel that both in terms of the government's ability to make policy and its ability to secure its own people both significantly compromised. more the day's news u.s. computer programmer claims that he was asked to create a vote rigging software for the electronic ballot machines before the country's disputed elections in the year two thousand we've got a special report coming up on that next hour here on r t is a quick taste of what's in store. for bush for the bush always by one vote for kerry but for kerry so the people that are going to be validating this machine can stand there all day long and vote for somebody and

the united states has reached a milestone in the nearly seven and a half year iraq war. e last combat troops have now left iraq and crossed into kuwait. ktvu is live in the washington d.c. bureau with more on this. good morning, allison. >> reporter: good morning to you. that's right. operation new dawn begins. the next phase of war in iraq focused on rebuilding and securing the country without u.s. combat troops. the last combat brigade is on its way home now. you can see cheers and high fives as the fourth striker brigade second infantry division left iraq and rolled into kuwait. >> it's great to finally be able to start to hand the country back over to the civilians and stuff. >> relief to finally know our tour is over. >> reporter: they are leaving a country that faces enormous challenges that does not have a fully functioning government. 50,000 u.s. troops will stay in iraq for another year in a noncombat role. the state department is beefing up the number of security contractors to take over some of the jobs that had been done by u.s. troops. reporting live from was

president has been the emissary to iraq in recent months i think he's using this reminder that he's the president to take us troops out of iraq to continue the same amount of support for his war in afghanistan where last month the u.s. experienced the biggest loss of the war so far it's a sort of irony that barack obama decides to make this announcement as iraq last month in jordan its worst month of violence for the past two years over five hundred people killed in shootings and bombings across the country so one thing you have of the rock is certainty of uncertainty and i feel that both in terms of the government's ability to make policy and its ability to secure its own people both significantly compromised. now gravely ill children in russia's regions like the chechen republic have been why fly after local facilities were upgraded previously receiving treatment for serious conditions such as kidney disease meant travelling to moscow something many families can't afford now though no equipment means vital medical care is within reach. it's been a year since he adopted a baby girl died but lady said she still mourning she's always looking at the pictures of her girl when sh

president has been the emissary to iraq in recent months i think he's using this remind that he's the president to take u.s. troops out of iraq too can be the same amount of support for his war in afghanistan where the u.s. experienced the biggest loss of the war so far it's a sort of irony that barack obama decides to make this announcement as iraq last month enjoyed its worst month of violence for the past two years over five hundred people killed in shootings and bombings across the country so one thing you have at the rock is. and i feel that in terms of the government's ability to make policy and its ability to secure its own people significantly compromised. and barack obama as a potential new confrontation on his hands after iran's president challenged him to a face to face media debate speaking at a conference in toronto monday mahmoud ahmadinejad also responded to a statement made by the u.s. military chief during a talk show mike mullen said a strike on iran is an option if diplomacy fails to stop the rands nuclear ambitions the iranian president also said military confrontation was not something his country was considering now this all comes around faces new inter

the vietnam war forty years ago. first it was u.s. troops killing civilians and journalists in iraqnow more than ninety thousand classified documents about the war in afghanistan have been obtained by the whistle blowing web site wiki leaks and while this is being called the biggest leak in intelligence history this isn't the first time that important military information has been released to the press in public i'm here.

iraq. already the operation to bring them home is under way, though there will still be 50,000 americans in iraq. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel who has been covering the iraq war from the beginning tonight begins our special coverage of the drawdown. "iraq: the long way out." >> reporter: time to go home. after three tours in iraq, staff sergeant everett powell is finally stripping down his humvee and packing up. in 2003 he pushed into baghdad with the first armored division. he was back again for the 2007 surge and now for the pullout of combat troops. >> i don't think it's really going to end up hitting until all the people are gone and i just don't come here anymore. i know this is going to be my last time here. it's not sinking in yet. >> reporter: just sinking in that after seven and a half years and 4,400 american military deaths, the united states combat mission in iraq will end this month. the challenge now, to move home an army. military officials describe this as the biggest logistical operation since world war ii. at just this motor pool -- and there are many like it -- hundreds of armored vehicles are being prepped to leave. most will be loaded on

president obama will deliver an address on the iraq war tonight. he set an august 30th deadline to lowering the number of troops in iraq to 50,000. >>> also this morning, president obama spoke about the economy and called for a so- called attack on the lingering recession. he delivered his comments from the rose garden saying congress needs to pass a bill that's been under debate for four months. it's an aid package that would provide tax cuts and tax incentives. the president says it would give business owners the hiring power they need. >> i ask senate republicans to stop the blockade. the people who sent us here expect us to get things done and improve this economy. >> he addressed the issue after meeting with his economic advisers. he wants congress to approve this quickly. >>> the federal government wants to change the stickers you get on those new cars you buy. the new requirement would include not only the gasoline mile age but also a rating for gasoline usage and they would have a letter rating, from a- plus to d. >>> gasoline prices have dr

iraq. next, you'll hear his assessment in his decision to withawal all combat troops and static kill, to plug the blown out o well in the gulf of mexico. >>> president obama declared today the iraq war is coming to an end, just as he sa he promised durg the campaign. >> i made it clear by august 31th, 2010, america's combat mission in iraq would end. [ applause ] >> that is exactly what we are doing. on schedule. >> he made the remarks to the national conveion of disabled veterans. he says the military operation is ending but america's commitment is not. he says they are moving toward a civilian effort. >> a transitional forc will train iraqi forces and conduct counteerrorism operations and provide security. >> the families of thr bay area hikers imprisoned in iran they welcome the word that they are finally hold a trial. they are being held in a iranian prison. iranian officials now say they will face charges of entering iran illegally. there could be other charges, as well. today's the mothers of three berkeley grads posted this response online. foreign ministry announced that shane and josh will be tried soon and children are in the second year of deteion. they encouraged iran to

in one of the a comic images of the world -- of the war, soldiers help citizens tear down a statue. >> major combat operations have ended. in the battle of iraq, the united states and our allies have prevailed. [applause] >> by the time u.s. troops captured the iraqi president in his hideout in 2003, his regime had ceased to exist. but resistance to the u.s. occupation was already growing. it was fueled by images showing the abuse of iraqi prisoners by their american captors in the notorious abu re-bughraib priso. in january 2005, iraqis participated in their first democratic election in decades. they began drafting a new constitution. but the violence continued to rage out of control. by the end of 2006, the u.s. military was reporting more than 960 attacks every week. a change in strategy and the troops surge in 2007 helped quell the violence, but americans had already grown tired of the war. within weeks of taking office, president announced a timetable for withdrawing. >> let me say this as plainly as i can. but august 31, 2010, our combat mission in iraq will and. >> it is a promise barack obama has kept. the retreating american troops l

the pullout of u.s. combat troops from iraq more americans are still being sent to replace those remaining this is sparks fresh antiwar protests in the states iraq war veteran. shared his experience of one such demonstration. we still managed to be on site at the exact moment the buses were pulling off base to go to the airport get in the streets get our banners unfurled that said please don't make the same mistake we did resist and now in the other that said occupation is a crime this soldiers in these buses this is the last thing that they saw on american soil before they went to get on a plane to go to iraq and i tell you we're doing this because you know we were there we care we love these soldiers who are going to commit these war crimes however we are trying to wake them up they need to understand that you know we're we're their friends next time they get ambushed when they're in iraq it's not going to be nonviolent that people there are going to resist them and when it happens it will be just this roars not over because barack obama or joe biden says combat in iraq is over does not mean soldiers are going to stop dying it does not mean they'r

ones there who may perish after the so-called end of the war that their loved ones indeed are not dead because the war has been officially ended i believe the occupation of iraq will go on for many years thousands of soldiers who are now back home having a hard time coping with what they experienced on the battlefield in iraq war veteran activist tim webster says the strain the fighting troops are bound to make mistakes. i did that situation. reacted like. that situation there's a lot of things when some soldiers work. with the job. so. yeah i expect there was a lot of fiction. and i. was approached by stress soldiers how soldiers cope when they come back with realization of. one in my opinion the wolves or the eagle how do you cope with that when you come back and. you've got a medal for war that is now we look more like a stain on the countries. or something that many people are proud to say that they have. that was iraq war veteran activists webster well while the prospect of terrorism still remains high in iraq it's also at the forefront of other conflicts in the world we speak to a political scientists. on how widespread the threat of terror. there was a

the ideology. i think it is an ideological election. >> we are fighting two wars at the same time. >> according to our administration, the iraq war is overnesday. >> there are still is -- there are still 50,000 american troops over there. >> they are not involved in combat. >> he is your president. >> i know. >> americans are being shot at and take ied's every day over their. >> is it 5%? barack obama and the democrats will be in good shape and that will be seen as a significant and historical legislative achievement. the economy is it. jim baker went to war in 1991. he drove saddam hussein out of kuwait. he said it was about jobs. that was his explanation. that is what this campaign is about miraculously, unemployment would have dropped by hello wayne to 7%, there would be a lift in a democratic support. >> this was about the economy and not the 2008 election. it is about the dissatisfaction of the dissatisfaction with george bush. >> we are in the midst of a financial collapse. >> the way the war fits in is that that weighs in on the liberal side. that is an important aspect of what is happening. you have all this anger among conservat

in the iraq war. >> the oil spill cap may get critical backup as soon as tonight.'m in washington seeing what's ahead coming up. >> also university of san francisco says good-bye to single-use water models. that's what the school is doing to encourage to go reusable. >> why astronauts aboard the guys remember, we're a solar system. mars is down...and... um, it's only 10am. who hasn't had their jimmy dean breakfast this morning? mmmm! now lets orbit i feel awesome. you're all awesome. kñy jimmy dean breakfast sandwiches, fight the morning fade. >> welcome back. the airport delays at 4:45 this morning. good news! all of our major airports are on time this morning. we do have some severe weather possibly north of denver along interstate 80 from about cheyenne into omaha, possibly iowa city and minneapolis. there is maybe affected this afternoon. check our flight tracker anytime, especially monday morning at abc7news.com. >> mike, thanks. it's 4:46. president obama is expectedto set a course today for the nation's changing mission in iraq as the military plans to ends

. >>> president obama declared today the iraq war is coming to an end, just as he said he promised duringampaign. >> i made it clear by august 31th, 2010, america's combat mission in iraq would end. [ applause ] >> that is exactly what we are doing. on schedule. >> he made the remarks to the national convention of disabled veterans. he says the military operation is ending but america's commitment is not. he says they are moving toward a civilian effort. >> a transitional force will train iraqi forces and conduct counterterrorism operations and provide security. >> the families of three bay area hikers imprisoned in iran they welcome the word that they are finally hold a trial. they are being held in a iranian prison. iranian officials now say they will face charges of entering iran illegally. there could be other charges, as well. today's the mothers of three berkeley grads posted this response online. foreign ministry announced that shane and josh will be tried soon and children are in the second year of detention. they encouraged iran to hold a speed at this and fair trial or release t

the people who have served there, including you, for your service. thank you so much. >> thank you very much for having me today. >> schieffer: and from the war in iraq to the war in afghanistan. we're joined now by senator lindsey graham, a key republican on the senate armed services committee. he is just back from afghanistan. he's in clemson, south carolina, this morning. i want to talk about afghanistan, senator. but you just heard what the general just said. if we get to the end of next year and the iraqis want us to stay longer, we would consider that. i think it would be very, very far fetched to think that the congress would authorize sending more troops to iraq at this point. what's your take? >> i hope they do ask us to have an enduring relationship politically, militarily, and economically. we have troops in germany and japan since world war ii. i don't think most americans would care if we had troops in iraq, as long as they were safe and secure. what's happened in iraq is transformative-- a democracy in the heart of the mideast between syria and iran. we're all safer if they continue to make progress. i hope we will have an enduring rela