RUSH: You’ve gotta hear this. Obama just wrapped up a joint press conference with Nouri al-Maliki, the guy who looks like he never shaves. Even five minutes after he shaves, it looks like he needs to shave again. I’d hate to have that problem. I hate shaving, period. This guy’s gotta do it ten times a day if he does it. Anyway, listen to this. Remember now, in 2002 Obama gave a speech in which he said invading Iraq would be a “dumb war,” and throughout the Bush prosecution of the Iraq war, Obama was leading the Democrats in what a mistake it was, how bad it was, look at all the deaths there are, stupid move, crazy move, wouldn’t have done it, blah, blah, blah. Now listen to him take credit for a Democratic Iraq.

OBAMA: When I took office, nearly 150,000 American troops were deployed in Iraq, and I pledged to end this war responsibly. Today, only several thousand troops remain there. This is a season of homecomings, and military families across America are being reunited for the holidays. In the coming days, the last American soldiers will cross the border out of Iraq with honor and with their heads held high. After nearly nine years, our war in Iraq ends this month. I’m proud to welcome prime minister Maliki, the elected leader of a sovereign, self-reliant, and Democratic Iraq.

RUSH: That’s exactly right, and it’s all happening on the Bush timetable. Now, you can choose to believe me or not. I’m not interested in ever being wrong here. It serves no purpose being wrong. Those of you who listen to me in order to have hate validated, I know you’re out there. You gotta hate every day, and I manage to make you hate, but I’m just telling you here, there’s nothing in it for me to be wrong, and this is the Bush timetable that’s been followed to the T, talking about the troop withdrawal. None of this is Obama’s. It’s not his plan. It’s all happening according to the Bush timetable. And Obama just said at his press conference here with Maliki that a Democrat Iraq will be a model for the region. Isn’t that the reason Bush gave for going there? That’s one of the reasons Bush gave for going there was having a democracy in the region and letting that be a blooming flower, so to speak.

There was even a reporter who may not get out of that room uninjured who asked Obama about his statement in 2002, somebody in the press corps, had to be a foreigner, had the nerve to ask Obama about his 2002 speech in which he said that invading Iraq would be a “dumb war.” Obama muttered something about how history will judge the decision to invade, but he has brought democracy to Iraq. And you have to wonder, Maliki, he’s got no choice, he’s gotta stand there and listen to this. Maliki is one of these guys that had to flee Iraq to escape being killed by Saddam Hussein. He only returned after Saddam was overthrown. And he knows standing there that had it been left to a guy like Obama, he’d still be in exile. I was told by a lackey in my IFB, “You’re making a big deal, Obama’s gonna be forgotten about Iraq.” Fine, but he’s not gonna be forgotten in a year. They’re still gonna run on this. At the risk of infuriating his base, except for, if I were Obama, I wouldn’t talk about a Democrat Iraq. I’d just focus on, “I said I was gonna get the troops out and I did.” His base is dumb and stupid enough to fall for that.

I think ultimately Obama’s not gonna be a remembered factor on this. He’s had nothing to do with it, but his memory is not gonna fade in a year. And that’s all I care about. The lackey agrees with me on that. Now, here’s what Obama said. He’s at some anti-war rally, October 2nd, 2002. And, by the way, speaking of how smart and convincing Obama is, the AP is reporting that Obama just announced the US has asked Iran to return the drone. (laughing) AP says that Obama’s asked Iran to give us back our drone. There’s a smart guy, folks. There’s somebody whose intelligence is so bright, we were blinded by it. If we’re in the same room, we have to wear sunglasses, perhaps not even look at him, his intelligence is so blinding. So he’s asked the mullahs to give us our drone back.

Anyway, Obama was at a rally, an anti-war rally back in October 2002, he said, “What I’m opposed to is a dumb war. What I’m opposed to is a rash war. What I’m opposed to is a cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the cost in lives lost and in hardships born. What I’m opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income, to distract us from corporate scandals and the stock market just gone through the worse month since the Great Depression, that’s what I’m opposed to, a dumb war, a rash war, a war based not on reason, but on passion, not on principle, but on politics.” So today there’s old Barry, (imitating Obama) “When I came into office, 150,000 troops in Iraq and they’re gone, I brought freedom and liberty and democracy to Iraq.” There he is. Our gutless wonder smarter-than-everybody-else-in-the-room president. I’ll tell you what he’s gonna be remembered for. He’s gonna be remembered for his economic depression. That’s what he’s going to be remembered for.