Updated

President Obama has lost leverage with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and thus holds no power to stop recent violence and bloodshed in that country, syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer said Friday on “Special Report with Bret Baier”.

“America has no leverage, America evacuated,” Krauthammer said, “Obama decided we were going to liquidate our presence.”

Krauthammer said the president’s failure to leave a residual element in Iraq to train forces and mediate between local ethnic groups has now hurt American interests.

“Obama decided for political reasons that he would evacuate, he’d call it a great victory,” Krauthammer said. “He ended the war. But he ended the war in a way that liquidated our gains.”