<helping the Iraqi people establish a free, prosperous and peaceful Iraq that serves as a beacon for the region>
If they are serious about that, then the elastic phrase "leave as soon as possible" probably means 20-30 years, because that's how long it would take.
There is an inherent contradiction in many of the Administration's public statements. On the one hand, they say they are going to turn things over to Iraqis, limit themselves to Security needs, and leave quickly (Hands-off Plan). On the other hand, they say they are going to transform the country, rebuild (or build from scratch) the countries' institutions, (make it a pacifist, secular, wealthy, democratic ally of the U.S.), a job that would require decades of micro-managing Iraq's internal affairs (Hands-On Plan). The real plan has to be one or the other. |
