| We now own Iraq because we chose, in our Wild | | | | thereby invited Al Qaeda to the party. |
| West fashion, to buy it. We bought it on the installment | | | | The blood that flowed began with more than 100,000 |
| plan at roughly $100B a year, or $300 for every man, | | | | Iraqi civilians, many of whom undoubtedly were |
| woman and child. If you are a family of four, your | | | | pregnant women who were granted no "choice." Then |
| contribution to the war is $1,200 a year. Are you | | | | it was the blood of thousands of American troops - |
| getting your money's worth? | | | | dead and wounded. |
| We now are engaged in semantics of "How do we | | | | In the resultant vacuum of leadership in Washington, |
| get out?" High on the list of rationalizations is the failure | | | | we have created a haven for Al Qaeda that they did |
| of the Iraqi government to act in a "responsible | | | | not enjoy from the mountains of Pakistan and |
| manner." | | | | Afghanistan. Al Qaeda now has the prospect of |
| We don't get out! | | | | having its own nation. All they have to do is to continue |
| The reality is that, for better or for worse, we are | | | | to await the fomenting of US public opinion through the |
| there. We have de-stabilized the region and | | | | spectacle of hapless politicians twisting in the wind. |
| strengthened the hand of Iran by our belief that | | | | Maine Sen.'s Snowe and Collins were front and center |
| Democracy solves all problems. The problem that | | | | in support of this triumph of pride over policy. Rep. |
| Democracy has created, however, is to remove the | | | | Tom Allen, a US Senate candidate, voted against the |
| Sunni balance, however evil it may have been, and | | | | invasion and then in favor on the next four Iraq budget |
| institute a Shiia neighbor friendly to Iran. | | | | votes in support for the troops, one guesses. |
| The blame shift to the Iraqi government is what we in | | | | Very simply, Iraq had no connection to Al Qaeda; now |
| Maine call a "red herring." The Iraqi government is a US | | | | it does. By our shortsighted actions, we have |
| puppet government. Whatever it is, we created it, just | | | | strengthened the hand of terrorism not only in the |
| as we created the Taliban and later destroyed it, only | | | | region but in the world. The profound lack of leadership |
| to have it rise stronger than ever from our virtual | | | | on both sides of the aisle will haunt this nation for |
| pullout in Afghanistan. | | | | decades to come. |
| We cannot now be heard to justify a pull-out from Iraq | | | | Three answers emerge that will likely not be put on |
| on the grounds of the inadequacy of its government. | | | | the table by our current government. 1) Push Israel into |
| Trying to look like the guys with the white hats is not | | | | a resolution of the Palestinian homeland question and |
| going to stand the test of history. | | | | gradually shift our presence from Iraq to Israel |
| We are not the guys with the white hats. We are a | | | | Palestine, the fourth largest nuclear power in the world. |
| nation presided over by people with limited vision, a | | | | 2) Get bin Laden, the living symbol of American |
| limited sense of history and lacking the courage of their | | | | impotency. 3) Prepare our nation, through a |
| convictions. We are reactive and often without | | | | comprehensive energy policy, to go cold-turkey on |
| purpose other than a smug satisfaction with our | | | | Middle East oil, now representing only about 13% of our |
| successes. | | | | consumption. |
| One of the most piercing questions asked of Gen. | | | | The reactive policies of our government have |
| Petraeus at the recent hearings was by Sen. Byrd: | | | | consigned us to a military presence in the region for |
| "General, was there any relationship between 9/11 and | | | | decades to come. |
| Iraq?" Answer: "None that I know of, Senator." | | | | He (bin Laden) "who can run but can't hide" has run, |
| Iraq was simply the reaction to 9/11 by a nation seeking | | | | has hidden and has expanded his reach to Iraq, thanks |
| revenge for being caught off guard - a curious act for | | | | to American hegemony and failure of a |
| a "Christian" nation. Saddam Hussein was a convenient | | | | comprehensive Middle East policy. Leadership is not |
| target because he was a brutal thug and highly visible. | | | | only about crisis management; it is about vision. |
| We broke off our mission against Al Qaeda in | | | | "Where the vision fails, the people perish. |
| Afghanistan, moved the theatre of war to Iraq and | | | | |