President Obama, Feb. 27, 2009: "Let me say this as plainly as I can: by August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end..."
Bush, May 1, 2003: "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the Battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed."
I’m not claiming the two statements or their speakers are remotely comparable. Bush was prancing around in a flight suit and cod piece moments before he uttered the most regrettable words of his presidency. Obama was soberly laying out a (hopefully) realistic way out of Iraq. And yet, call me a concern troll, but what happens if August 31, 2010 arrives and the situation in Iraq has worsened from where it is today.
What does Obama do then?