Oval Office speech

In his Aug. 31 speech from the Oval Office on Tuesday, President Barack Obama declared the end of the American combat mission in Iraq.

"Tonight I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended. Operation Iraqi Freedom is over," he said in his primetime address.

As for the 50,000 American troops still stationed in Iraq?

"Consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, all U.S. troops will leave by the end of next year."

His 17-minute speech also touched on the war in Afghanistan and the sluggish U.S. economy, but was clearly centered around the milestone in Iraq.