Ted,
I don't think anyone can put a number on the Iraqi support for the US occupation. All polls are suspect in a country with a high level of fear of retribution.
And I think it's beside the point. This isn't an election, it's an occupation. The day (s) of tearing down statues is gone, the opposite sentiment seems to have settled in. (BTW, I read a quote somewhere, I wish I could remember the source, but it went something like "When you are tearing down the statues, remember to save the base, it is sure to come in handy in the near future" <I think it was a Russian proverb>). There is a VERY significant domestic resistance to our occupation of Iraq. Iraq is obviously no longer (it never was) a threat to the US. From a very conservative perspective, we should get the hell out and let them get on with their lives in the best way they can, without our intervention. That's what conservatives believe, domestic and international. The self-reliance thing.
Cut and run. It's a really minority opinion, but it's what I think we should do. The Republicans will say "we have to finish the job", the Democrats will say "we created this mess, we have to fix it". Frankly, I think it's best we let the Iraqi's create the new Iraq. Anything that has the US stamp of approval isn't going to survive the test of time anyway. This is the ME, not Ohio.
Iraq is the biggest political mistake in my lifetime. Worse than Vietnam, and I didn't think that was possible.
John |
