In Oval Office Address, Obama Declares End to U.S. Iraq Combat

A shattering war initiated seven years ago by President George W. Bush lurched towards its stuttering conclusion Tuesday night as his successor, a subdued President Barack Obama, fulfilled his campaign promise to end combat operations in Iraq.

Speaking from the Oval Office in prime time - a move to attract the attention of Americans weary of war and distracted by economic woes - declared that responsibility for Iraq's future had shifted to that nation's divided and untested leadership.

Yet in a striking shift that reflects the growing recognition of the war's economic toll, Obama pivoted from guns to butter, arguing that reducing U.S. commitments in Iraq will strengthen the faltering U.S. recovery and cut the deficit.

"Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country," said Obama. "Ending this war is not only in Iraq's interest - it is in our own... [W]e have met our responsibility. Now, it is time to turn the page."

Obama began the day with a trip from the White House to Ft. Bliss Texas, where he told soldiers that the milestone wasn't a "victory lap."

Later he spoke briefly with President Bush - and said he hoped the end of the combat mission would mark a new beginning for his relationship with his predecessor, whom he has bitterly criticized.

"Here, too, it is time to turn the page," the president said. "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 could doubt President Bush's support for our troops, or his love of country and commitment to our security. As I have 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 hope for Iraq's future."

While acknowledging the possibility that Iraq could descend back into violence, Obama said the drawdown will allow a shift of combat troops and equipment to the fight in Afghanistan, "as a message to the world that the United States of America intends to sustain and strengthen our leadership in this young century."

Obama, whose opposition to the war propelled his rise from obscure Illinois state senator to Democratic presidential nominee in 2008, avoided anything that resembled George W. Bush's ill-conceived "Mission Accomplished" pronouncement. Instead, he highlighted the sacrifices of the nearly one million U.S. service members who have served in Iraq and the 4,400 Americans who have died there.

But the address - delivered from the same place where Bush made the decision to take the nation into war on faulty intelligence that Iraq harbored weapons of mass destruction - was clearly meant to portray Obama as a man who keeps his word and a competent Commander-in-Chief.

"This was my pledge to the American people as a candidate for this office," he said. "Last February, I announced a plan that would bring our combat brigades out of Iraq, while redoubling our efforts to strengthen Iraq's Security Forces and support its government and people. That is what we have done. We have removed nearly 100,000 U.S. troops from Iraq. We have closed or transferred hundreds of bases to the Iraqis. And we have moved millions of pieces of equipment out of Iraq."