Obama previews end of combat speech

 
President Barack Obama says he's keeping a promise with the formal end of combat operations in Iraq.

 
In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama says the drawdown doesn't just reaffirm Iraq's sovereignty, but also makes good on one of his principle campaign pledges.

Remaining troops will assume a backup and training role, a shift Obama will underscore with a visit to Fort Bliss, Texas, and an Oval Office address to the nation on Aug. 31, the deadline for the drawdown.
 

 Listen to the president's speech: 

Obama says the "bottom line" is that the war is coming to an end, Iraq can "chart its own course" and that all troops will be home by the end of next year.
 
Obama also pledged continued support for veterans and the Veterans Affairs Department.

 Meanwhile, Republicans continue to hammer away at government spending and the Democrats' handling of the economy.
 
In the weekly Republican radio and Internet address, Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio says "the American Dream is threatened by out-of-control politicians in Washington."
 
He took Democrats to task for the idea that more government deficit spending will grow the economy. Rubio say that's "never worked anywhere it's been tried and it won't work now."
 
He calls for extending existing the Bush administration tax cuts scheduled to expire in January, repealing the health care legislation and ending what remains of the stimulus legislation.
 
Rubio says accepting free enterprise and spending discipline, "America's future will be brighter than her history."