Let me just say, I think there's a reasonable criticism to be made of the Obama administration on the way that it left Iraq.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
The fact that Obama is getting criticism from the left and the right might reflect his understanding of the underlying political dynamics.
Taking a principled and consistent stance over Iraq has attracted much criticism from our detractors and opponents.
Many conservatives were openly angry with the Bush administration over enormous government spending and the chaos in Iraq. I don't see as much independent thinking on the left, where President Obama is rarely criticized by his acolytes.
Our opponent and many in Congress criticized our decision to end the Iraq war.
Before Katrina, you didn't see criticism of the Bush administration in the media. Here they are, stealing elections, enacting illegal wars, huge crimes against humanity and democracy, and you didn't even see criticism. It wasn't until Katrina that people started to come down on them.
The United States needs to be not so much loved as it needs to be respected. Sometimes, that requires us to take actions that generate controversy. I'm not at all sure that that's what the Obama administration believes.
This issue, if not addressed, leaves any President, including George Bush, open to the criticism that they are essentially ignoring the destruction of the nation and I believe that with all my heart.
Few progressives would take issue with the argument that, significant accomplishments notwithstanding, the Obama presidency has been a big disappointment.
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned, it seems, to direct the Middle East policy of the Obama administration.
Obama and the Democrats were so critical of what Bush did, the interrogations, the secret prisons, Guantanamo and all of that, and even the war on terror. Obama won't use the word. He's made war on the war on terror.