Flashback: Obama Team Predicted Rosy Future for Iraq in Congressional Testimony

FLASHBACK: Obama Team Predicted Rosy Future for Iraq in Congressional Testimony (Washington Free Beacon)

Obama administration officials spoke of bright days ahead for Iraq in June 2011 during a hearing about the country’s future following withdrawal of American troops, which was completed that December.

Now, as Iraq faces total collapse with an al Qaeda offshoot threatening to seize Baghdad, they could hardly look more naive.

The White House has spoken glowingly of Iraq as a major national security success with the ending of U.S. troop presence there, but the country lies in total disarray after another al Qaeda-linked group seized control of MosulTuesday. NBC reporter Richard Engel described the dire circumstances facing Iraq Thursday on MSNBC, saying that ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) is a “disgusting organization” that’s still been able to attract less radical allies within the country. The key city of Fallujah, which U.S. troops waged two hard-fought battles to win, fell to al Qaeda in January.