This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Wednesday, September 1st, 2010.

I'm Caleb Brown.

The combat operations phase of the war in Iraq is over, according to President Obama, but the Iraq surge strategy

which candidate Obama opposed was only mentioned as it related to a similar

strategy in Afghanistan.

Chris Preble, Director of Foreign Policy studies at the Cato Institute, comments.

The President talked about both wars, yes.

In his address, and he seemed to seamlessly move from the surge strategy in Iraq to his call up of more troops into Afghanistan. Estens ostensibly with the same goal that is creating space for

Afghans to get their stuff together and govern effectively.

Yes.

What's wrong with that?

First of all, the president has been knocked by many detractors

recently over his opposition to the surge in Iraq.

And I think this is unfair, but mainly because I think that you have to start the clock or you start looking and talking about the Iraq war not in 2007 but in 2002 and 2003 when the decision was made to go to war in the first place.

You know, I think Barack Obama still deserves credit for understanding and speaking out at a time

when most others didn't that the war was a bad idea and I think that ultimately

history has vindicated his judgment from 2002 and 2003.

So that's why I understand why people want to talk about the surge, but I also understand why those

of us who also opposed the war shouldn't let them, basically.

But with respect to the surge itself, the surge in Iraq was supposed to create a space for political reconciliation

Which has not occurred full stop it hasn't occurred

Unfortunately the government you know we've we can talk about the fact there was an election

...