Obama Reassures Iraqis Links

Obama Says US Not Deserting Iraq: ‘We Will Continue to Follow You on Twitter’

Promises Strong Social Networking Ties with Iraqi People

WASHINGTON - Announcing that it would completely withdraw its troops from Iraq by the end of the year, President Barack Obama today maintained that the United States was not deserting Iraq, promising the Iraqi people, “We will continue to follow you on Twitter.”

Mr. Obama indicated that the United States’ relationship with Iraq would soon transition from a military one to a social networking one, with the United States promising to “Like” Iraq’s Facebook page and share contact information on LinkedIn.

He added, however, that the United States would not have a presence on Google+ "because no one else does."

In summing up the United States’ eight-year military mission in Iraq, Mr. Obama said, “We have done everything we set out to do in this mission, except figure out what the mission was.”

Turning to Libya, Mr. Obama expressed pride in the successful NATO effort to topple dictator Muammar Gaddafi: "It is my hope that Libya will soon have a functioning democracy, and that someday the United States will, too."

Former Vice-President Dick Cheney also congratulated the Libyan people, releasing the following official statement: "With Gaddafi gone, Libya's right to determine its future is now safely in the hands of multinational oil companies."