Get Out
I have felt that the US should stay in Iraq until the civil unrest has finished. I don't feel that it was right to go in and take Hussein out of power. But now that the forces were there, they should finish what they said they were going in there to do. To pull out would show that the country would not follow through on what they set out to do. Or an impression could be made that a withdrawal was done solely due to popular opinion.
That was until I read this story.
OK. That's enough. Get out. That behaviour is unacceptable and it is multiple times worse than any occupation or withdrawal. If any group wanted an event as a rallying cry to fight against the US and their occupation of Iraq, this is it. It is such an abhorable act that it staggers my mind. I'm at a loss for words. And 24 hours after it was breaking news, the story is nowhere to be found. My cynical side says the story was shuffled to the side in order not to influence public opinion for the upcoming election. Yes, it is possible this was an isolated incident. But it is more likely that there have been and likely will be more like it. Regardless, I see it as a sign that this needs to be over.
While we are on the topic, the government used to tell everyone that they would only stay long enough for local personnel to be trained to keep control of the country on their own. How long does that take? We have seen zero progress. I've also noticed that they haven't been saying that lately. Now the rhetoric has returned to the war on terror.
Your plans to "finish the job" are not working and no progress is being made. Your "staying the course" is proving to be more detrimental to the so-called "war on terror". Your suggestion that we must not "cut and run" is becoming the less sensible option. Yes, it may mean a civil war with a less than favorable faction taking power. But what is the other option. An endless occupation with no progress toward peaceful democratic rule. It is time to accept that your decision of a military enforced regime change was wrong. Our reputation as a country will be damaged and it will lay heavy on our conscience. But the best action at this point is to pull out and allow the country to find it's own way.
3 comments:
That makes me wonder that if they had a place to call their own, would they be so bent on bringing down the US.
Also, if the US military backed off for a while and kept out of other countries affairs, would anti-US factions loosen their hatred against the US.
Both are purely conjecture and not suggestions on a plan of action.
There's a lot that can be said about the war in Iraq. What confounds me, in addition to what you've written here Frank, is that we used to have ambassadors in our front line of defense. What happened to going in and talking to other countries, presenting our point of view and working with our allies to help rein in the monsters of the world? I've heard nothing about any ambassadorial visits -- before or after the war. Secretary of State visits? It really bothered me that Bush just cowboyed his way into Iraq, circumventing any diplomatic process. It sets such a horrendous precedent for other countries (North Korea anyone?) to do the same. Argh.
Oops. Meaning no disrespect to real cowboys, of course.
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