Lugar weighs in on President's speech

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (wane) - A day after President Obama declared the combat phase of the war in Iraq over; many are taking a closer look at the speech and situation in the Middle East.

Senator Richard Lugar was in Fort Wayne Wednesday and had plenty to say about the President's plan.

The republican told NewsChannel 15, it sounded to him like the President was reminding Americans that he's making good on his promise to remove troops, instead of letting them know what he plans to accomplish overseas.

“The dilemma for the president, for the country, is that our country has never really defined what our objectives are in Iraq, not to mention Afghanistan, which is even more complex perhaps. We've had many different objectives at different times,” he said.

Lugar said he wants direction, not deadlines, but President Obama has already set another one.
“He's already announced that next July we will have substantial withdrawal from Afghanistan. So already the debate is how many? Under what circumstances? This is the dilemma of setting these dates,” he said.

In the meantime, the senator said Obama's spending is out of control, which doesn't help when the country is already facing a huge war bill.
“Iraq, some calculate, has cost the United State about three quarters of a trillion dollars. Now you can't separate those dollars from other dollars when you get to deficits or debt or loans we have. It's a very expensive situation,” he said.