Whether it started with a metal tricycle, or a molded plastic Big Wheels, it was a start. That first set of wheels, that first taste of mobility. You'd slip into your velcro'ed shoes and ride to the end of the block and back as fast as you could. Eventually your parents got you that strange upright contraption with only
two wheels. The bicycle. But like frankenstein's monster it had appendages bolted on: training wheels.
At first it wasn't all that different. It was a bit bigger, but with the training wheels on it you didn't need to worry about balance or stability because they kept you up even when you started to lean. Likewise it didn't matter how long it took you to get up to speed to let your momentum help keep your balance. All you had to do was pedal and the training wheels took care of the rest. It was all the benefits of having a bicycle without the challenge. But your parents knew that someday those bolted on attachments had to come off, lest you become too dependant on their assistance.
Suddenly it wasn't just pedaling anymore. You had to keep the wheel steady, and you had to keep moving forward or else you'd fall. And sometimes you did fall, and had the cuts and scrapes to prove it. At first you wanted nothing more than to have those training wheels back on. This new riding hurt, and you couldn't do everything at once and still do it right, and you were convinced that you would never learn how to do it. But you didn't throw your bike away and go home, you got up the next day and tried again. Every now and then you'd recall it would be easier if you still had those training wheels, but over time you realized you really didn't need them anymore.
Eventually you learned how to ride, and ride well. Some brave individuals even learned how to keep it steady without their hands. Others went further and learned to race, or jump, or do stunts. But none of that would have been possible if you kept the training wheels on indefinitely.
There's a democratically elected government. Trained security forces and police. An appointed cabinet. It's time to take the training wheels off and let them learn how to lead their own country. That doesn't mean we abandon them to their own devices, but the number of troops we have on the ground in Iraq now is nothing more than training wheels. Your parents knew that as much as they cared, letting you keep your training wheels as long as you wanted would only hurt in the long run. You weren't going to take them off on your own. Just like Iraq won't "stand up" on its own. It's time to find out if the unity government has the support of the people without us there to prop it up.
I'd encourage others to compare our troops propping up the Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi government as training wheels at every opportunity. Our troops' mission is done, regardless of how many times that mission has changed to meet the needs of propaganda.