One of the frustrations of being a Democrat is the ongoing failure of our representatives to even try to make a case for leaving Iraq now. Perhaps they fear the Republican "cut and run" tag, or are content to let the Republicans "own" Iraq and run against it. Even Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton are vague on when and if they would extricate our troops from the mess President AWOL dumped them into.
This position is convenient politically, perhaps even smart. Letting the public vote against Republicans is probably sufficient to extend our Congressional majorities and hopefully get our Presidential nominee elected. But this safe course is neither brave nor bold, and doesn't really give anyone much reason to vote for Democrats.
Despite this political expediency, what puzzles and disappoints me is that one can make a simple but compelling case for leaving Iraq now . . .
Point #1 Things will get better in Iraq when we withdraw our troops, not worse.
Public opinion polls in Iraq have consistently shown for years that even the Iraqis who supported our invasion in the beginning no longer want us there. Many are quite adamant about it, and that's why a few of them are so intent on bombing and killing our troops. No matter how good our intentions and how hard our soldiers try, our ongoing presence in Iraq is the cause of the unrest that leads to the violence.
Like removing a splinter from a person's finger, removing our troops will take away the agitation that leads to violence.
Conversely, keeping our troops in Iraq results in perpetual violence because of the ongoing provocation (as most Iraqis see it) of our presence. This being the case . . .
Point #2 If we leave Iraq a year from now, or three or five years from now, the result will be exactly the same as if we left Iraq today.
Things are no better in Iraq now than they were one year ago or two years ago. The effort our soldiers have made, the money we've spent, has not improved conditions in Iraq. What makes anyone think this will change?
It won't, of course. So let's leave. Now. The American public will be better off, our military will obviously be better off, and Iraq and her citizens will be better off.