That was May 1st 2003, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. President Bush declared..."Mission Accomplished" in Iraq.
Then,..... everything changed..... or, did it?
President Obama declared that "all combat troops were finally leaving Iraq, no later than August 31, 2010. We actually saw our news media broadcast the "ahead of schedule departure" of all those "combat" troops.
What we didn't see, however, was the renaming of regiments from "combat" to "advisory". Had their jobs changed? Did they have different equipment? Were they any less armed? That would be a "NO" to all those questions.
What really changed, was the media coverage. It moved on to the new "War without End", and with it, went a portion of "Hope", and a sinking feeling that real "Progress" was as elusive and unattainable as the "Change" we were promised.
Then came the end of "Don't ask, Don't tell". Oh Yeah, that hasn't changed either. Our troops are still being treated like second class citizens, while Congress debates on an issue that never should have been an issue to begin with! How about a little human rights, here? This is "Progress"?
Where's the leadership we've been waiting for. Where's the President that I voted for? You remember,.... the one that was going to "stop the war, and bring our troops home", not just ship them to fight some place else? Where's the President that was going to put an end to "Don't ask, Don't tell"?
I'm still waiting for him to show up.
And, the longer I wait,.... the more I loose "hope".
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