Out of Iraq . . . Now!

December 25, 2004

It is one thing to defend against an aggressor and another to start a war as an aggressor as we did in Iraq.  The Administration started an illegal war and we must stop it as soon as possible.

There are many facets of the war which make it imperative we pull out of Iraq. Here are a few.:

1.   Our decision to attack Iraq was made without any direct threat and makes the War in Iraq illegal and immoral. Bush wrangled American citizen support by playing on fears that Iraq could attack at any time and that it had weapons of mass destruction. All lies.

The moral high ground does not exist for the war in Iraq. There was no imminent threat for even talking about a war against Iraq.

2.   War planning started in January 2001, less than a month after Bush took over the White House. Yet, when the war started in 2003 they were caught of guard by problems after our initial assault on Iraq's major cities and installations. This shows that delusional war planners create ill-conceived their plans.

As expected, the initial military response went very well.  Yet, critics at the time warned the Administration that our initial successes would not insure victory in the end. They were right. Our troops are now occupiers and a focal point for disparate groups coming together to actively plan and kill them.

This should have been recognized before Bush sent our troops to battle. This incompetence means our troops died unnecessarily to support Bush's idea of a new Middle East.

3.   The presence of U.S. troops in Iraq engenders resentment and allows more terrorism and death. Plans for occupation were non existent and our occupation has now become a daily grind of assaults, skirmishes and more death. This proves military might has nothing to do with success.

That might has also been damaged by poor troop training, the lack of proper equipment and vehicle protection and a poor supply line system. There is no excuse for this incompetence at any level or from Bush's war supporters. To make things worse the Administration's response to these problems has been slow at best.

Lack of planning has increased dangers for our forces and is unacceptable. This is not supporting our troops.

4.   The number of Iraqis wanting to kill Americans grows daily. Loosing loved ones in U.S. raids fuels hatred and desires for revenge. Right now the ratio of US deaths to Iraqi deaths is at least 25 to 1 so that means there are tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens hating us and are either actively assaulting our troops or aiding those who are. This vengeance momentum will continue and we will loose this war of attrition.

There is no battle front in Iraq. Every city, major intersection and base of operations becomes the front line. Our troops are stranded in violent land. They deserve better.

5. The Administration has changed the reasons for the war depending on politics and which lie was exposed. Now it is to bring about democracy starting with elections in January 2005. This shows their ignorance of a country not accustomed or desirous of a democracy. Democracy requires compromises to function properly but they focus on who wins.

The best we can expect is a country with a stable government, probably an Islamic theocracy hybrid  which does not kill its people indiscriminately.

Is this worth dying for?

6. The costs of war are measured in the death, destruction and dollars. They are all are incalculable. Our economic resources are being drained and the country  is weaker economically and militarily. Spending money in Iraq means less is available for schools, medical care and infrastructure in the United States.

The American people deserve and must expect more from their government.

We cannot militarily win in Iraq, we can only occupy an increasingly resentful country so we need to plan an exit and implement it now. For once, the Bush administration needs end their selfish ways and do this "one thing" for our troops. They deserve this support and respect.

Unfortunately, based on past actions Bush will not plan, he will refuse to acknowledge any wrongs and he will again turn his back on our troops. He will rely on "Support our Troops" slogans to shield himself from responsibility to our soldiers. He and his war supporters will use comments like, "We must support our troops in this time of peril", "Your are giving comfort to the enemy" and "We can't afford to loose, so our troops need everyone's support to win." These comments are old and worn. They have been used by war supporters in the past  to shield themselves from scrutiny and responsibility. It is no different now.

It is un-American for anyone to ask our citizens to use troops to support an illegal war; it is un American to place our ill-equipped troops in perilous situations for an indeterminate amount of time and it is un-American to dismiss the views of fellow citizens who believe the Iraq War must end now.