Let me ask you this:
We are long into this war. 4 years?
In today's ridiculous political arena, how does one go about saying it is time to leave Iraq, after having voted for the war? What could the reps and Senators do or state to convince the public that it is time to withdraw?
While I think it is reasonable for a person to have a different aspect or view on the war 4 years after the initial permission was given, it seems to come with it a huge stigma of "flip flopping" if you now have a stance different than in 2002 when the President was given permission to go to war with Iraq.
I am all for bringing our troop home. I am all for giving the Iraqi gov't measurable benchmarks to hit, if this were to involve specific dates, I would keep them secret. I would make it clear, as Bush is doing now, that the US forces will stay as long as the acknowledged Iraqi gov't wants them to stay, or per the agreed to timetable and benchmarks, whichever is shorter.
There is no question in a lot of peoples mind that our service over there is not appreciated, but I am a firm believer that we are doing something good and we bear some responsibility to see that country left with a strong gov't. The problem is these people have hated each other since history began, the US ain't gonna change that in 4 yrs, or 40. We just have to reach a mutually agreeable point of stability for Iraq, then we can leave with our responsibility fulfilled towards the citizens of that country. When we leave, there will be another civil war within a year, no matter what we do. |
