The eruption of fighting in Iraq's Anbar Province is causing much consternation and recrimination in U.S. foreign policy circles. Conservative hawks, including Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham, are especially vocal in criticizing the Obama administration's Iraq policy. They argue that the administration's fecklessness has opened Iraq to an al Qaeda offensive that now has the terrorist group's flag flying over portions of Falluja and Ramadi, two cities subdued during the Bush administration at great cost in blood and treasure. If Obama had not foolishly withdrawn the remaining U.S. troops from Iraq at the end of 2011, hawkish critics insist, Washington would now have far greater ability to prevent the country's alarming slide into turmoil.
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Fighting in Iraq's Anbar Province causes consternation among policy leaders
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Ted Carpenter: Conservative hawks are vocal in criticizing the Obama administration
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He says critics are wrong to say that we should have kept U.S. troops in the region
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Carpenter: Let's be grateful U.S. policy is not allowing more Americans to die in Iraq
Critics who blast @placeholder for not keeping American troops in that snake pit are badly misguided.