Gov. Scott, veterans split on president's plan for Iraq

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — President Barack Obama announced a new strategy Thursday to protect the American Embassy and personnel in Iraq, and combat the Islamic militant group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant that is pushing its way through the country, 2 1/2 years after American combat troops withdrew.

"American forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq," Obama said.

Instead, Obama will send 300 military advisers to help train and support Iraqi security forces, specialists with similar specialties to the National Guard battalion currently based at Camp Blanding.

Former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Nancy Soderberg tells Action News the President will continue to weigh all his options.

"We don't want to fight the fight for them. That era is over and I do believe that American boots are off the table, but if this is not sufficient, everything will be back on the table, but I think for right now it's very squarely off the table," she said.

Gov. Rick Scott criticized the plan after speaking to local veterans at the 84th annual Veterans of Foreign War conference in Jacksonville.

"Now we're seeing the results of him not having a foreign policy," Scott said. "He's trying to be popular around the world and it's hurt us."

Army veteran Leon Haddock, who served in Germany, believes the United States withdrew from Iraq too soon.

"When we were there, the troops should have been allowed to do their job. We left before it was over and I think this should have been done earlier. Now he can't do anything over there, in my opinion, without boots on the ground," Haddock said.

But Marine veteran Dennis Stier somewhat disagrees.

"It was a terrible waste. That's all there is to it. I have members of my VFW post, and contractors who are sick and heartbroken about all the work they did. And now we're back where we started," Stier said.

Stier believes too much money and too many lives have already been lost in Iraq and that they should not return.

"I don't think we should send anybody over there. I think we should just bomb the insurgents and let it go at that."

WJAX