Commander in Chief Reports on Libya and Iraq, Republicans and Two Democrats Vote Against Helping States Keep Teachers

Excerpts from Weekly Address:

This week, I was proud to announce that—as promised—the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of this year.

In Libya, the death of Moammar Qadhafi showed that our role in protecting the Libyan people, and helping them break free from a tyrant, was the right thing to do.

In Iraq, we’ve succeeded in our strategy to end the war. Last year, I announced the end of our combat mission in Iraq. We’ve already removed more than 100,000 troops, and Iraqi forces have taken full responsibility for the security of their own country. Thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, the Iraqi people have the chance to forge their own future. And now the rest of our troops will be home for the holidays.

In Libya, our brave pilots and crews helped prevent a massacre, save countless lives, and give the Libyan people the chance to prevail. Without putting a single U.S. service member on the ground, we achieved our objectives. Soon, our NATO mission will come to a successful end even as we continue to support the Libyan people, and people across the Arab world, who seek a democratic future.

These successes are part of a larger story. After a decade of war, we’re turning the page and moving forward, with strength and confidence. The drawdown in Iraq allowed us to refocus on Afghanistan and achieve major victories against al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. As we remove the last of our troops from Iraq, we’re beginning to bring our troops home from Afghanistan.

To put this in perspective, when I took office, roughly 180,000 troops were deployed in these wars. By the end of this year that number will be cut in half, and an increasing number of our troops will continue to come home.

At Home:

On 10/20/2011, the Senate split 50-50 on a vote to debate the portion of Obama's Jobs Act to help the cash-strapped states hire teachers and first responders. The Republicans would have filibustered any vote short of 60 to debate the bill.

All 47 Republicans plus Democratic senators Ben Nelson (Nebraska) Mark Pryor (Arkansas), and Independent Joseph Lieberman (Delaware) decided that an additional 0.5% tax on earned income over $1 million was too great a price for helping the states stabilize their unemployment rates by keeping teachers, firefighters and policemen on the job.