Tonight on Larry King Live!

At the beginning of the surge into the Middle East following 9/11, everyone was gung-ho for destroying terror in the world. If we leave Iraq now before everything is gone then the terrorist cells across the world will view us as a weak country that wont back up what we say. If they get this view, they will do everything in their power to wipe us off the face of the Earth. So in answer to the question "Has the Iraq war been successful?" NO we have not succeeded until all terrorists have been eradicated like they desire to do to us.

who the hell is this news women in Iraq commenting about Iraq accusing america of turning our backs What the hell does that mean.I'm sick of the short term memory of the news media and anyone who seems to have forgotten how this crap started.Hello! it started with a Lie weapons of mass destruction that was not there and a country that did not attack us on 9/11.President Obama has tried to keep his promise to the troops as well as to all of us.We hasve spent trillions of dollars and alqueda and the taliban has increased because of the bush administration and their lie if anyone owes the iraqi people it would be bush/cheney rumsfeld and all the rest of those liars that did this god awful crime against humanity remember all you forgetful ones there is over 4,000 americans DEAD,there are many more than that wounded and permanately disabled.President Obama is making damn sure they are being treated fairly and getting what they need,I must add under the republican administration that was not happening,remember walter reis,remember the troops that didnt get proper armour.how dare anyone be a critic on this president.Let's be real and let's be truthful.
What happened to the war would be paid for from the oil,another lie from bush.

How does transferring the power of security to the Iraqi people/Iraqi military imply success and stability of the Iraqi government? Who, in Iraq, will be in charge? The map has Iraq divided into 3 sections- NOT united.

It is time we ended this war. We never should have been there in the first place. Now maybe we can use the resources and trillions of dollars in America and not overseas.

I am a firm advocate for the conclusion of the war in Iraq. I feel that this war was a mistake and not one American life was worth losing over this irrelevant war. I believe that Obama was gracious to the efforts of former President Bush, it is evident that both presidents disagreed on the war, but Obama has done what I believe a patriotic act. I know this is not the end but the beginning but as President Obama said it is time to turn the page and hopefully in the future, close the book.

Most Americans became aware early that the Bush administration made a bad choice by invading Iraq. They had nothing to do with 9/11 nor did they have weapons of mass destruction.
Today the republicans want credit given for the surge? For real? Seek out the speech that President Bush gave in support of the surge. He stated that a surge in 2007 was to provide the Iraqy government the breathing room they needed to formulate and finalize a governent.
It is 2010 and they have no government. Finally, during the presidential election, ending the Iraq war was the top issue – and now with the slow recovery of our economy, the country has changed views.
I hope that removing the majority of our combat troops is the fire Iraq needs to get their act together.

I find it rediculous that your guest thought President Obama should've thanked former President Bush for staying the course in Iraq in a war we should have NEVER been in the first place.

my son was killed in iraq in october 2006. He truely believed they were making a difference. He was proud to serve his country and i am proud of him and the other 4426 that gave their lives defending our freedom.

Some should read about Canada's secret war on Iraq before criticizing the US so much.

Who's going to ensure our success,who's going to sure up our borders,who's going to create jobs here,who's going to help those losing their homes? Why are we nation building else where,while this nation is crumbling. Man kind is on this one earth together,it's too damned bad that we can't seem to stop creating wars as a solution to our problems,we might as well have remained cave people.We act first then we think OOPS what have we done,and then it's always to late to turn back.

no, actually, it was a biggest mistake in America history.

The President's speech was excellent and I am glad he has brought the war to an honorable end. We have sacrificed enough. Now, we need to concentrate on our own country and I appreciate his addressing the economy and believe things will get better if people stop criticizing.

tracks going in dont look that much from tracks going out.............

the president gave a very good speech and he is on the right track with our veterans I support the President. and I thank God for him.

We're mercenaries, military for hire.
It's only about oil, our standard of living.
It was National security, it's morphed to national interests. Means- we go anywhere for our national resources

Why are we willing to accept that Pres. Bush's Iraq surge was a success? He stated in public the purpose of the surge was to allow the Iraqui government time to politically set itself up – that has yet to happen - Pres. Bush's Iraq war and surge have been the largest political catastrophes of all times – to the benefit of Iran in the region – huge blunders and some folks wanted Pres. Obama to thank him tonight? How delussional can we possible be??!!

I don't want to hear that others were behind the war – I too believed the Bush administration when it lied about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction – so I can understand based upon those false representations how people could have gone along with the Administration. The wisdom goes to Pres. Obama for not having gone along with it in the first place.

so many lifes are gone because of Bush's friends agenda. Its all started after 9/11 and now Obama slaping people who gave their life on the face by putting mousqie where Americans lost their life to beging with. What a shame!

I am glad the presidnet is ending the war

tracks going in dont seem so diffrent as tracks going out.........only,going out leaves the mark.

If anybody thinks Bush didn't do this for his father they need to rethink it. Since his father couln't get the job done in the 1st war and suffered critisism because of it. He lied to everyone about the bombs of mass destruction just to go after Sadam Husan. I feel Obama did the right thing to stop this war. It has cost us way to many lives and more money than we needed to spend. If that money was spent here at home we wouldn't be in this condition.

We have given enough to Iraq, over 4,000 lives of been sacrificed. It is time for them to fight for themselves and take responsibility for their own well-being. Why, please tell me why so many want to criticize our President when he is one of our best we have had and I have lived to know quiet a few. His speech was excellent and I appreciated his mention of the economy and truly feel he will accomplish all he sets out to do. So far, he has done just that.

It's not possible to know that yet...

I believe it is about time we ended the war in Iraq. We should not have been there in the first place. Good for President Obama. I think President is fighing to give freedom to the Ameican People who the Republican have been taking way from the people by big business and credit card companies and insurance companies. I stand behind him and want to work along with him to finish the job he started.

Thank God we can now move on and give this President a fair chance like the rest of Presidents. He has been working very hard and I believe the world we live in have gained the true meaning of love your neighbours as yourselves.

We should all thank these Brave men and women for thier services and wish Iraq the best for the future of their generation. There is a lot to do this side and the monies can now be used to help the economy.

All please pray for those in authorities especially the President to see us through.

I believe Yes we can make it.

NO! Iraqi war has not been succesful
too many innocent lifes wasted,
many are still dying each day, now
tell me what's succesful in this
country as far as the war is concern.

The whole Iraq situation has been; as the quest said; "a catastrophe! "! From Rumsfeld giving Saddam advanced weapons during the Iran- Iraq catastrophe, to not securing the country during the invasion.

Well first we have to define what was our objective for this war....

A) We all originally thought we were going into war in retaliation of the 9/11 attack and targeting Osama Bin Laden (whom apparently is impossible to locate and bring to justice ... BS).

B) We then managed to shift focus and sought to uncover the alleged WMD possessed by Saddam Hussein.

C) Now we are supposedly in war because it is of utmost importance to support Iraq in establishing democracy and disbanding the threat of the existing terrorist organizations. (However, we all know that Middle Eastern Oil control is playing a big part in our involvement)

Well as for answering the question... "Has the Iraq war been successful?"

In terms of A) ... No ... Osama Bin Laden is still hiding out there .. unless he has died by causes not in our power ... but we have no clue or proof of that.

In terms of B) Well Saddam Hussein has been executed but WMD were never found ... so this led to wasted military efforts and tax payer dollars for a non-fruitful purpose ... So Yes in terms of ridding the world of someone that ranked high on the "Most Wanted" list but this objective was really just Pres. Bush's way of getting a "win" for his upcoming re-election... really didn't serve Iraq or US much from my point of view ... but maybe I am missing information (wouldn't be a first).

In terms of C) Not a success ... The bottom line is clear:
-Iraq doesn't have a firm democracy yet
-Iraq's military is unprepared in absence of US support

If we are indicating that we are planning to provide training and consultation\advisement to their military then that tells me that we don't believe they are truly prepared to defend themselves. So if the terrorist groups were to gather and strike heavily tomorrow or soon after we have brought majority of our troops home, then (in my opinion) Iraq probably won't stand a chance.

....but this unsuccessful misstion is not the fault of the US!!! (in terms of C)

My arguement is ...

Why is Iraq struggling (or taking so long) to establish the military force and government to protect itself from these terrorist organizations? True.. statistics show we have "supressed" the violence in Iraq but not eliminated .... Why haven't we been able to eliminate the terrorist orgs??? All the surviellance technology we have and we can't seek and destroy these terror groups... really?!?

How are these terrorist orgs getting the funding they need to continue to be such a long lasting threat all the while we've had troops in Iraq fighting and making such sacrifices these past 7.5 years???

It just sounds to me that Iraq (as a majority) doesn't want to be free from these terrorist orgs and if that's the case then we shouldn't spend anymore tax payer dollars nor should anymore of our men and women sacrifice their lives trying to support Iraq until they take a real stand for their own freedom.

Only one question. Why is the War ending just before 9/11.Any answers with knowledge?

This war was started with lies and deceit. It is a complete disaster. Tens of thousands killed and many more wounded, livlihoods destroyed, cities destroyed, lack of infrastructure and utilities due to all the bombing. More lives lost than in 911. The war did not pay for itself as we were promised. Our countries debt has escalated thanks to these wars. No one wins a war. we have no right dictating to another country how they should govern–how would we feel if another country invaded us, bombed all our cities, killed tens of thousands and wounded many more than that and dictated what form of government we should have. No one has ever been held accountable for the lies, deceit, autracities commmited, torture and expenditure of money. Many millions of dollars are still unaccounted for per the news.

I keep hearing people say that Barack Obama should give George Bush credit for the surge. This is just like saying that the child who tells the truth about what they did wrong should be excused from responsibility for what they did. It may have worked out but it doesn't make the whole war right. Speaking about the end of combat operations isn't just a comment on the surge...it's a comment on the entire war. That comment should not include credit for the surge unless they also want him to dwell on how wrong the war was.

After nearly 5,000 dead and 10 thousand wounded the question is.

WHAT HAVE WE ACHIEVED??

Or better yet,

ARE THE LIVES OF YOUNG AMERICAN, MERELY STATISTICS???

President said that the war in Iraq is over but he never said why we voluntarily started it.

Asking whether CNN's audience believes the Iraq War was a success is similar to the story of the group of blind me who believed that the small part of the elephant real estate that each touched represented the sum of the parts. The harsh reality is that the Iraq War, to my belief, was completely unnecessary–if for no other reason, than for the reason that we could never hope to pay for it. What goals that have been eked out of a very bad situation could have been achieved, over time, through negotiation.In the final analysis, we went to Iraq over one issue: pride. My heart breaks for the lives lost and ruined–both American and Iraqi. Try to imagine just being in 120-degree heat in full combat gear. What misery for our soldiers to endure to come home and have to hear why a mosque should be built in the vicinity of the World Trade Center and Wall Street. Evidence enough , by itself, that we lost.

It is so interesting and reassuring to hear your interview of the returning soldier and how he and others have been respectfully welcomed back from the war. It made me reflect back on the days after my husband returned from eighteen months in Vietnam. Men and women returning from THAT war were treated with derision and disdain. I remember when someone at a civic event that we attended (my husband in a suit and tie) asked what my husband did for a living, and I told them he was a navigator in the Air Force. The couple turned and walked away from us. IT was a difficult time, then,.

why wasent my comment published? why? because i said we will never forget the frenzied lies that we were told > we will never forget it

We lost the war in Iraq that was based on LIES by Chaney and Bush. We killed our beautiful young men and women in uniform by our LIES.We killed over a million innocent civilians because of LIES. We are still ready to destroy Iran based on lies. When will we ever learn our country is being destroyed by our own people ? Thank God we have President Obama in office but he is not being allowed to do his work by the same left over demons of Bushies.

diane alberts I am very sorry your son was killed in Iraq, my heart bleeds for you as it does for over one million innocent Iraqi's that were Killed by Chaney and Bush's LIES. There was no WMD . We were not fighting to freedom we were LIED to.

It's a stupid Bush war which America should not be in at all.
Same as the Vietnam war.
A total 4,400 dead and 34,000 soldiers wounded for nothing.
May god bless their souls.
President Obama did the right thing by calling it off.
Iraq should take the lead in defending its own country.
Why must the President pay a tribute to Bush on the failed war?

It's time to end W's personal war.

Only a complete "IDIOT" would say that we succeeded in Iraq.

And if we did, "WHY MUST WE MAINTAIN A FORCE OF 50,000 troopers there??

I bet most intelligent people would agree that once again the American public has been BUFFALO' d again.

GEEEEEZZZZZ! When is the B.S. going to stop, an the truth will be told??????

It is not in the best interest of the ARMS INDUSTRY in America, for any war or conflict to come to an end, and it is that industry that finances the election process.

DONT ALLOW YOURSELVES TO BE FOOLED BY REHTORIC

Hi Larry,
Thank God our brave boys & girls would be returning back to their country & families.
Our hearts go out again We salute the fallen & the returning soldiers.
to those families who lost their loved ones in a war which should not have been.
The Iraq war would be a black smudge on our history for posterity. Based on fabrications, lies, half truths & propaganda this would be remembered as one of the greatest follies we ever committed.

Sacrificing 5000 precious American lives, 30,000 wounded many scarred for life, a trillion dollar plus of American tax payers money badly needed at home. Tens of thousands of Iraqi civilian deaths. Was it worth it?Where is the success?
We lost our credibility and influence in a region vital to our economic & geo-political interests. We left a perfectly viable country which could have been our partner, destroyed, torn apart in civil war, a breeding ground for terrorism for a long time to come. In the words of Robert Fisk "America left a mark of torture, corruption, civil war".
Its time that those responsible for this disaster are held accountable.

First of all I want to give thanks and I honor all the fallen heroes who fought for the freedom of others who would wish them harm.

Second I would like to think that the american people will finally remember why the economy is in such a mess. It is in part because of the so called Iraq war and the corruption by contractors to include Haliburton. This war should have never taken place.

Thirdly I want to send my appreciation out to President Obama in finally making the Iraqis "own" the future of Iraq. It is high time that the Iraqi people take responsibilty, invest , fight and die for their own country. We amricans have given way to much.

"americans"

How can we leave them like that?
Are we sure to have given them the best military training and infrastructure possible? Why not give them a nuclear bomb just so that they can sustain democracy with greater confidence in their new found government.

If we do not give them a nuclear bomb..
Why not give American soldier the option to become Naturalized Iraqi Citizens in lieu of Military service already served, 4 future commitment and permanent stay in the reserves for the good of Iraq, global peace and security?

The overthrow of a ruthless dictator is not something democrats want to see happen. After all, Obama is their "Chosen One".

We should have NEVER EVER have been in Iraq in the 1st place& it took this long even after Saddam was caught&killed to get out of there!Bush&Chaney were SO WRONG about Iraq!We should have only in afganisten&pakastain hunting down Bin Laden and his followers since he was the cause of 9/11.And still with it almost being 9 years now he is still not caught!Hopefully when the focus is just on Afganisten&pakastain we will have a better chance of getting him with all the troops just being in thoses countires now,out of Iraq.

I am very curious to see what is going to happen now that the president announced this. knowing that so many troops are being sent to Iraq, it certainly makes me think about what's going to happen next. Aside from the Iraq war, I do want to recommend a great documentary film called "Restrepo" by Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington about what a group of deployed soldiers in Afghanistan go through day in and day out. It is definitely a must see for Americans who have absolutely no idea about what's going on overseas and just buy into everything the media and Hollywood movies portray. This film is about as real as it gets.... there are no actors! These are real US soldiers. The book "War" by Sebastian Junger goes into more depth than the film. "Restrepo" was this years Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner.

Hi All,
I am very please with what I read. I am not an american but I am a peace seeker and believe in peace not war. I am glad that most of you see that there was no need for this war in the first place. It was propaganda and a story fabricated once again by the media. It was a mistake and unfortunatley the both the young Iraqis and Americans had to pay the price. Young men who probably didn't understand what they were getting themselves into. I have three grown sons and wouldn't like them to get fight anyone or be killed. Condolences to both sides for the mistakes of others. Who is going to compensate these poor families? No money in the world will bring back their loved ones. I applaud Obama for his first successful action to withdraw troops. I also hope that President Obama and his administration will bring peace to the Middle East. Its about time these two groups of people lived in harmony and benefited from one anothers culture. I think the Middle East Conflict should end. I have confidence that Obama will play a crucial role in this. He is capable.

Hi Larry,
To those who are always touting that we rid the Iraqis of a dictator I would like to ask at what cost?
Almost 5000 American lives lost, 30000 wounded, thousands scarred for life, tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians killed , a trillion dollar tab. Loss of credibility and influence in a region vital for our economic & geo-political interests. Entire populations infused with anti-American sentiment.
A viable country with vast resources & potential for becoming a productive partner to US without this blood shed, now under the influence of other players in the region. What a folly?
And since when had we fallen in love with Iraqis? To worry about their welfare. Most Americans then and even now wouldn't be able to point out Iraq on a map much less know about their history or culture.
Yah sure we went in their for the love of Iraqis.

Was it successful ? 4000 servicemen and women dead. Nearly 100,000 Iraqis dead. Nearly 31,000 servicemembers wounded. Countless Iraqis wounded. Nearly 4 milion Iraqi refugees. Almost a trillion dollars in cost.
And Iraq is still wrapped in violence and political conflict. If you ask Palin will she say "You betcha" ?

Only if Gingrich counts the US Embassy in Baghdad as success. The invasion of Iraq resulted in the deaths of nearly 100,000 Iraqis. And the US has built an Embassy, the size of the Vatican, in the heart of Baghdad. Isn't that more of a symbol of domination ? Rather than an Islamic cultural center in Manhattan ? Anyone asked the millions of Iraqi refugees what they thought about the US Embassy in Baghdad ?

May God bless America and may God, the Creator of all worlds bless the global world and cause the evils of the world to repent and change their inhuman behavior and cease no more. Then, maybe good may rule in this world and when the sun rise, darkness has to flee. Let evil flee and we shall live in peace. Blessed are the peacemakers!

September 2nd, 2010 6:43 pm ET
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The past administration made the worse mess and the present president is the cleanup guy and he will never be respected or accepted for the filthy dirty job he has to repair and yes restore true honor, not some phony, restore honor rally. He is damned if he does and damned if he don't. He is always too soon or too late, but he and the first lady keep working harder everyday and never a thank you for being the fall guy, in other words, I made the mess and yes, you take the heat, while I hide behind my wife's new book, new library and the GOP hate the president campaign and take back our country tea party propaganda. Tea party never said that after 911, never even had one angry town hall meeting carrying Ben Laden hitler signs or hate signs mocking the 911 terrorists,killers, when that was the time for all Americans including tea partiers to take a stand and fight back for our country, for all Americans, something is wrong with this picture. Thanks Mr. President and thanks American troops for fighting for US.

You know what? As soon as our remaining forces are withdrawn from Iraq, it is no longer our concern. I say give Iraq to the Iraqis, or the Iranians, or the Klingons or who ever the heck wants it! Do you really think anyone else will have any more success there than we did? If the Iranians come in, the Sunnis and Kurds will rise up. If we leave the Sunnis in power, the Shiites and Kurds will rise up. If we leave a coalition government of Shiites and Sunnis, the Kurds will rise up. There is simply no winning option except to let history take it's course, which it will no matter what we do. Actually, perhaps the best thing for the rest of the world would be if Iran found herself in the middle of an Iraqi civil war. I doubt that the Sharia government of Iran would last long if they began killing their own ( Muslims ). The fact of the matter is that when we leave for good, Iraq will eventually dissolve into three new countries. One for the Shiites, one for the Sunnis, and one for the Kurds. But this will not stop the fighting, for the Iranians and Iraqi Shiites will take exception to a free Sunni nation, and the Kurds ancient enemies the Turks will take exception to a Kurdish state. As sad as it seems, George Bush's legacy will live on long after we are all gone!

Why did Larry King try and make the "smartest" man in the world look like a other-than super intelligent person?????? -David-

If God exists....Who created God?