Obama dinner to give formal dinner for Iraq war veterans
Mopeder
2012/02/29 19:45:09
(AFP)
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama invited veterans of the US military effort in Iraq to a formal dinner at the White House Wednesday to mark the pullout of American troops there.
"This dinner (is) an expression of the nation's gratitude for the achievements and enormous sacrifices of the brave Americans who served in the Iraq War and of the families who supported them," a White House statement said.
The event, which gets underway Wednesday at 8:20 pm (0120 GMT Thursday) aims to close a nine-year-long US chapter in Iraq that began with the March 2003 invasion to oust then-president Saddam Hussein.
Nearly 80 service members and their guests have been invited to the soiree, according to the Pentagon, which said every branch of the uniformed armed services would be represented.
The dinner guests also will represent every US state and territory, White House and Pentagon officials said.
"These service members and family members represent more than a million Americans and their families who served and made personal sacrifices in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn," a US Defense Department statement said.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey and the chiefs of the five uniformed services -- army, navy, air force, marines and coast guard -- as well as the National Guard and Reserve will also attend the dinner.
Obama, an opponent of the controversial invasion that overthrew Saddam, removed the last US troops at the end of last year, after Iraq did not agree to plans to keep a residual force.
Copyright © 2012 AFP.
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama invited veterans of the US military effort in Iraq to a formal dinner at the White House Wednesday to mark the pullout of American troops there.
"This dinner (is) an expression of the nation's gratitude for the achievements and enormous sacrifices of the brave Americans who served in the Iraq War and of the families who supported them," a White House statement said.
The event, which gets underway Wednesday at 8:20 pm (0120 GMT Thursday) aims to close a nine-year-long US chapter in Iraq that began with the March 2003 invasion to oust then-president Saddam Hussein.
Nearly 80 service members and their guests have been invited to the soiree, according to the Pentagon, which said every branch of the uniformed armed services would be represented.
The dinner guests also will represent every US state and territory, White House and Pentagon officials said.
"These service members and family members represent more than a million Americans and their families who served and made personal sacrifices in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn," a US Defense Department statement said.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey and the chiefs of the five uniformed services -- army, navy, air force, marines and coast guard -- as well as the National Guard and Reserve will also attend the dinner.
Obama, an opponent of the controversial invasion that overthrew Saddam, removed the last US troops at the end of last year, after Iraq did not agree to plans to keep a residual force.
Copyright © 2012 AFP.
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mich52 2012/02/29 22:31:57
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Time will tell...
In spite of her dedication to the cause, she seemed rather unenthusiastic in the photos from the evening.
hippocrite - A squishy hippo that happens to be hypocritical of others. Derived from the word hypocrite, but accommodate to specificy hippos.
Example : Wow she's such a hippocrite. She tells us to eat ourselves but she never does it!
=============================...
-- President’s Day 2012, Michelle and the first daughters in Aspen, Colorado to ski.
-- Christmas 2011, the first family in Hawaii for an extended vacation.
-- Summer 2011, in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., for the annual beach break.
-- June 2011, the first lady, her mother and daughters traveled to South Africa and Botswana.
-- President’s Day 2011, the first lady and first daughters travel to Vail to ski.
-- Christmas 2010, in Hawaii.
-- August 2010, the first family traveled to Panama City Beach, Fla., for some sun and fun at the beach.
-- August 2010, Obama spent the weekend alone in Chicago for his 49th birthday bash.
-- August 2010, the first lady and daughter Sasha traveled to Spain for a mother-daughter vacation.
-- August 2010, summer vacation again at Martha’s Vineyard.
-- July 2010, the first family went to Mount Desert Island, Maine.
-- May 2010, the first family had a four-day trip to Chicago.
-- March 2010...
hippocrite - A squishy hippo that happens to be hypocritical of others. Derived from the word hypocrite, but accommodate to specificy hippos.
Example : Wow she's such a hippocrite. She tells us to eat ourselves but she never does it!
=============================...
-- President’s Day 2012, Michelle and the first daughters in Aspen, Colorado to ski.
-- Christmas 2011, the first family in Hawaii for an extended vacation.
-- Summer 2011, in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., for the annual beach break.
-- June 2011, the first lady, her mother and daughters traveled to South Africa and Botswana.
-- President’s Day 2011, the first lady and first daughters travel to Vail to ski.
-- Christmas 2010, in Hawaii.
-- August 2010, the first family traveled to Panama City Beach, Fla., for some sun and fun at the beach.
-- August 2010, Obama spent the weekend alone in Chicago for his 49th birthday bash.
-- August 2010, the first lady and daughter Sasha traveled to Spain for a mother-daughter vacation.
-- August 2010, summer vacation again at Martha’s Vineyard.
-- July 2010, the first family went to Mount Desert Island, Maine.
-- May 2010, the first family had a four-day trip to Chicago.
-- March 2010, first lady and daughter spend Spring Break in New York City.
-- Christmas 2009, Hawaii again for the annual break.
-- August 2009, at Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon for a short vacation.
-- August 2009, their first summer vacation as first family at Martha’s Vineyard, Mass
Just asking.
Wake up America. Obama Hates our military and hates America.
Go Lady Vols! They won the SEC Championship!
Yes it was a good weekend in Big Orange Country! Vols BB beat Vandy, Lady Vols BB won SEC, LV Softball beat MTSU, LV tennis beat SC...and Vols baseball won 1 of 3 games in Houston.
The Men's SEC tourney starts this week...Love this time of year!!!
Might be the only nice thing he actually has done in recognition of our armed services and the military service men and women. But isn't this uncanny that he should do this in an election year. Makes you wonder what Obama could be holding out for the military personnel and their votes. Watch out people, no one actually knows what else could be up Obama's sleeve.
I always thought of myself as a Constitutionalist... but most folks that now ignore the “Law of the Land” have labeled those of us that want to uphold the law as Birthers... as if that is some type of slur or something.
But unlike your typical Birther, I do agree that Barry Soetoro was born in the U.S. to a British Citizen father and an American Citizen mother, thereby making him a Native Born Citizen.
And just as the adjudication by the Supreme Court has decided in "Minor v Happersett" and just as the U.S. Senate has found with Senate Resolution 511 that agreed with the SCOTUS ruling in 'Minor' that it takes TWO American Citizen Parents (as in plural) to be a NATURAL Born citizen, those of us that want the law obeyed are being ridiculed instead of thoughtfully debated.
I really want someone to show where that is NOT correct since I would LOVE to see my Senator Marco Rubio be qualified to be president, but since Marco was born in Miami in 1971, four years BEFORE his parents became American Citizens, according to the Supreme Court's 'Minor' adjudication, Marco, like Obama, is not a Natural Born Citizen, but instead is a Native Born Citizen.
BTW, what am I supposedly "jealous" of? My "pointless" message is the hy...
I always thought of myself as a Constitutionalist... but most folks that now ignore the “Law of the Land” have labeled those of us that want to uphold the law as Birthers... as if that is some type of slur or something.
But unlike your typical Birther, I do agree that Barry Soetoro was born in the U.S. to a British Citizen father and an American Citizen mother, thereby making him a Native Born Citizen.
And just as the adjudication by the Supreme Court has decided in "Minor v Happersett" and just as the U.S. Senate has found with Senate Resolution 511 that agreed with the SCOTUS ruling in 'Minor' that it takes TWO American Citizen Parents (as in plural) to be a NATURAL Born citizen, those of us that want the law obeyed are being ridiculed instead of thoughtfully debated.
I really want someone to show where that is NOT correct since I would LOVE to see my Senator Marco Rubio be qualified to be president, but since Marco was born in Miami in 1971, four years BEFORE his parents became American Citizens, according to the Supreme Court's 'Minor' adjudication, Marco, like Obama, is not a Natural Born Citizen, but instead is a Native Born Citizen.
BTW, what am I supposedly "jealous" of? My "pointless" message is the hypocrisy of a man that abhors the military and then embraces it when it’s politically convenient.
I just feel sorry for a nation where those responsible for properly vetting candidates still won't "man up" and admit that they made a mistake. I simply would uphold the law and hold the DNC responsible for not providing a qualified candidate pursuant to both SCOTUS and the U.S. Senate.
But then if upholding the law is perceived as jealousy and sickness, then I feel sorry for you. But I feel more sorry for this nation because we USED to be a nation of laws... but now we are only a nation of the whim of the dumb masses that don't know their history and fail to understand that once we have leaders that arbitrarily pick and choose which laws they like, and which laws they ignore, we suddenly become just like the banana republics that we used to distrust.