Leaving Iraq is Not Quitting

November 29, 2005

This week, Bush and Rumsfeld have been touting their war tactics and expertise. They declared their Iraq war plan is working, and that Iraqis must be able to take care of themselves before we can leave. This is troubling. Though Iraqi has a constitution and a couple of successful elections it is not necessarily a viable nation, able to defend itself from insurgents and outside influences such as Iranian terrorists. It will not be for decades.

Now, years later, and under pressure, Bush promises to soon provide an outline of his Iraq war plan including an "exit strategy".  Americans are not fooled.  If Bush had a plan before, he would have declared it then and not now.

Bush stated today, his definition of winning in Iraq is beating the terrorists there. What he is actually saying is that we must remain and kill and keep on killing until Iraq can survive without our immediate presence. Considering the millions of Arabs in the Middle East who fervently hate America, the number of insurgents, terrorists, and foreign fighters will not decrease any time soon. Not in 5 years or 20 years.

Bush also said his decisions about Iraq are not based on politics; again, ignoring the fact he and his NeoCons started the war based on politics and with lies to Congress and American people.  He also “forgets” about what is driving his public response this week… politics and pressure from Republican supporters who used the Iraq War as a political tool for their elections.

Bush said he uses the recommendations of the "generals on the ground" when making decisions. Realistically, none of his commanders will raise concerns or express their views when their jobs depend on them agreeing with the Administration.  For example, they will not ask for more troops when the Administration wants less and sometimes says so in public. Bush surrounds himself with people and ideas he wants to hear. The generals are afraid.

This is a very bad way to run a war and it shows in the thousands of American deaths and tens of thousands wounded.

Rumsfeld said today, quitting is not an “exit strategy” but did not outline an “exit strategy” so any disentanglement we might try would be quitting to him. Apparently our troops are "in it for the long haul" with no end date and that is just fine with him. However, it is not with most Americans.

Americans do not want a protracted war, at least not one where the Administration is unwilling or cannot explain what its objectives for success are. Americans want an exit strategy, a plan for success that decisively protects our soldiers and stops the killing. They want Iraqis to take over their own defense and promises from its government that it will do so.

Bush is "commander in chief" in name only. He has clearly shown he cannot lead our military to victory; he quit the war before he started it because he had no strategy for victory.

More annoyingly...  who, in his right mind starts a war without a plan for success and then criticizes people for rightly pointing this out?