president obama and the first lady paid tribute to them at ft. bragg. the commander in chief has spent a week saying a long good-bye to the war he once described as dumb. >> iraq is not a perfect place. it has many challenges ahead. but we are leaving behind a sovereign, stable, self reliant iraq. >> reporter: during the nearly ten-year conflict, the u.s. lost more than 4,400 troops, over 32,000 were injured. by the end of the year the total price tag will exceed $712 billion. >> hopefully the next stage in the iraqi people's lives they can move on. we can step back and take a purely advisory role, and hopefully, they can make it on their own. >> reporter: not everyone is happy about the timing of the withdrawal. senator john mccain accuses president obama of making his decision based on politics not national security. >> i believe that history will judge this president's leadership with the scorn and disdain that it deserves.