Jamison Lamp

Pres. Barack Obama said in a speech today that the “combat mission” in Iraq will end on Aug. 31, 2010.

After that day, about 35,000 to 50,000 troops will remain to equip, train and advise the Iraqi forces, but Obama promised that all U.S. troops will leave Iraq by the end of 2011.

Students at SDSU have varied opinions about the president’s plan.

“I kind of thought the war was a good plan,” Nathanael Rehn, a junior mechanical engineering major said. “We need to complete the job, so that everything we fought for isn’t reversed.”

“I think it’s a great start,” Madaline Edison, a senior English major said. “I am happy that (Obama) fulfilled his campaign promises.”

While some feel that Obama is making strides in getting out of Iraq, others feel that there could be improvements.

“I think that is too long; we need to get out sooner,” Sophomore Nikki Brown, a journalism major, said. “(The government) has been saying they want to get out of (Iraq) for a long time.”

The economy has played into some students’ opinions.

“Considering the economic crisis of today, I think it is better to use our resources at home instead of abroad,” Edison said.Rehn attributes the unstable gas prices to the situations in Iraq. “I think it is one of the best things to do (pull out of Iraq) because we don’t have the funds,” Rehn said. “A more stable Iraq might mean a more stable world economy.”

Obama gave the address this morning at Camp Lejeune, N.C.