Obama marks Iraq War anniversary at Ft. Bliss

President Obama returned to Ft. Bliss Friday two years to
the day after he declared the end of U.S. combat operation in Iraq at the El
Paso, Tex., Army base. 

Obama told the troops at Ft. Bliss that the announcement two
years ago marked a “historic moment” for the nation, and that he followed through
on his pledge to get all U.S. troops out of Iraq.

{mosads}“At the time I know some folks didn’t believe me. They were
skeptical. Some thought the end of combat was just word games and semantics.
But I meant what I said,” Obama said. “Today Iraq has a chance to forge its own
destiny, and there are no American troops fighting and dying in Iraq.”

Obama also addressed the war in Afghanistan, saying it was
being brought to a close “responsibly” so that Afghanistan will never again be
the source of terrorist attacks against the United States.

“If you hear anyone trying to say that America is in decline
or that our influence has waned, don’t you believe it, because here’s the
truth: Our alliances have never been stronger,” Obama said.

The president’s address at Ft. Bliss also included an executive
order he issued to improve mental healthcare and suicide prevention services
for veterans.

The visit was an official White House trip, but it had
campaign implications one day after Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney
accepted the nomination and ahead of the Democrats’ convention next week. Both
campaigns have been making an effort to reach out to veterans.

Behind the scenes ahead of Obama’s speech, his campaign and
the White House criticized
Romney for not mentioning the troops in Afghanistan during his acceptance
speech.

“In an almost 45-minute speech Romney didn’t find time to
mention our troops in Afghanistan,” Obama campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter
said on a conference call with reporters.

Romney’s campaign responded by noting his address at the
American Legion Wednesday and accusing Obama of failing “in his duty as
Commander in Chief to win the home front.”

“The Obama campaign’s attack on Gov. Romney today is another
attempt to politicize the war in Afghanistan, a war in which President Obama
has dangerously based his decisions on political calculations, endangering our
mission,” Romney spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said in a statement.

The Romney campaign also hit Obama on jobs for veterans.

“President Obama has repeatedly promised to fight for jobs for our
nation’s veterans – but after nearly four years, it’s clear he just
hasn’t delivered,” Romney spokesman Ryan Williams. “The President’s failed economic policies
have left young returning veterans facing double-digit unemployment, and
even more veterans will be forced on to the unemployment lines if his
$1 trillion in looming defense cuts are enacted.”

In his speech at the American Legion Wednesday, Romney
criticized the Obama administration for allowing a backlog of Veterans Affairs
mental health cases to pile up, and said he would do more to get veterans quick
access to the care they need.

In the executive order, Obama instructed the VA to hire an
additional 800 mental health workers, and he called on the VA to increase the
veteran crisis line capacity by 50 percent before the end of the year.

He also told the VA, Defense, Education and Health and Human
Services to launch a study on prevention and treatment of post-traumatic stress
disorder and traumatic brain injury.

— Jonathan Easley contributed.