President Barack Obama is expected to give a major speech about Iraq days after the last U.S. combat troops were withdrawn ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline.

ABC News is reporting that President Obama will use the speech to make three major points:

• Express gratitude to the troops for the work they have done; more than 4,400 U.S. soldiers have been killed during the seven years of the Iraq War, a war many believe the U.S. government mislead the public about. Who knows how many innocent Iraqi civilians have died.
  
• Highlight that he has kept his promise to withdraw the troops when scheduled
  
• Place Iraq within the context of our national security priorities

A couple of issues come to mind when thinking about what Americans need to hear from Obama:



The president needs to express gratitude to the massive numbers of troops, 50,000, that will be left behind. He also needs to clearly explain what their role will be, because the idea that these troops will not continue to fight and die does not seem realistic.

Obama also needs to explain when these 50,000 troops will be coming home. Will Iraq become the next U.S. military outpost like Germany or Japan? If that is the case, the president should explain why.

When it comes to putting Iraq in to the context of national security, Obama needs to explain, without hyperbole, why our national security is intertwined with Iraq's. I am simply not convinced that it is: the argument about our departure creating a vacuum that would become a breeding ground for terrorists simply does not work.

There are several places in the world, including Somalia, Yemen and within the borders of our own allies like Pakistan, that terrorist organizations are flourishing. What makes Iraq so special that we have to commit 50,000 American citizens there for at least another year and thousands of civilians after that?

Finally, what is our financial commitment to Iraq going forward? We have spent $743 billion and counting on Iraq alone. It's clear that we spend way too much on the military industrial complex. We spend more than most other countries of the world combined on our military.

This is not acceptable when programs such as Social Security are in danger of becoming insolvent, Americans can't afford their homes and some Americans have been out of work for two years or longer.

I'm pretty sure President Obama is not going to deliver a George Bush–style mission accomplished speech, but if he does not address some of these issues, then his speech will leave more questions than it answers.