I, like probably many of you, think this war is fundamentally wrong and immoral, that it was unprovoked and unnecessary, and that it will likely be damaging to America's long term interests.
But....
One thing the apologists say before making there apologies for this disaster happens to be true. We need to look at where we are now, not how we got there. The books looking at the lies and deceptions are nice and required reading, but they are useless as a tool for moral decision making in the future. The only pertinent question is what do we do now?
First let me say that my heart tells me to get out ASAP. That being said I am a little dismayed at people attacking neocons calling for more troops in a knee jerk fashion. We are not them. We should actually debate this issue because its not that simple, and I think a lot of us know it.
Let's not forget, because of the disaster we have created, we do have a moral obligation to try to make it better. At this point that can only mean one thing: trying to help secure the country if the Iraqis wish us to. This is an important point. If the Iraqis don't want us anymore and perhaps just want some cash for reconstruction, that's probably what we should do. But if there is a case to be made that a significant increase in troops could help bring some peace, then we should at least not reject it out of hand.
It seems to me the major question to consider is whether us being there at all hurts or harms security. Jack Murtha's position, which I share, is that we are part of the problem, not the solution. But I fear for what is going to happen to those people as we withdraw. Things are horrible and could get worse. We can't simply say that is not our problem or responsibility. It very much is.
I'm just trying to start a debate on this amongst progressives. Now that we have a chance to accomplish something I hope its the right thing.