Speaking of momentous milestones:
There was no triumphalism and certainly no shock or awe. The end of the war in Iraq was subdued and simple: a small band playing as the US forces flag was furled with 200 troops watching on quietly.
In a makeshift parade ground in a corner of Baghdad airport, time was called on the war just after 1pm on Thursday, eight years, eight months and 26 days after its far more dramatic opening in March 2003. Nearby a plane was waiting to take home the US high command. And in southern Iraq, the 4,000 US troops who remain were steadily streaming towards Kuwait.
What's there to say? Going to war was a mistake, but once engaged it was our obligation to finish what we started with a victory, and we didn't do very well in that department. We went from a president who stood in front of a banner prematurely declaring "mission accomplished" to a president who just wanted out and isn't even saying whether we won or not. Was it worth it? We don't know that yet and won't till we see what effect our departure has. A lot of people seem to think they know that, but it's all just wild guessing at this point. No vigorous Obama-bashing on this one -- the president did what he promised as a candidate, so this shouldn't be a big surprise to anybody.
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If Obama had been just a few years older (he was born in 1961), he might have remembered Vietnam and simply bugged out of both Iraq and Afghanistan, as his own vice president reportedly favored. Sometimes it makes sense to listen to us older guys.