My response to those who say we need to pull out of Iraq NOW

This was posted by me in response to "The Cindy Sheehan Rorshach Test". One of the comments was someone who felt that we needed to just pull out of Iraq. I don't thaink that is honorable....hell, I didn't think pulling out of Vietnam was honorable either. If you're going to fight a war, you commit all resources necessary to win. Fuck "police actions". If you are going to invade a country and trash what infrastructure they have left after international sanctions(supported by you) have already weakened it, then you damn well have the moral obligation to fix what you broke.

I'm a strange beast, with a rather old-fashioned sense of honor. It's why when I fantasy role play my damn charaters end up as paladins and knights, even if I start them on the dicey side of the law...I HAVE to play it straight, I HAVE to help the downtrodden. I HAVE to follow the golden rule....of course, being the good guy means I often finish last, but that isn't the way the world's is supposed to work. But the following is my take:


We as a nation screwed up. The majority were taken in by the Bushistas and railroaded through attacks on their patriotism into giving him carte blanche. Those who disagreed were smeared and villified, and the PEOPLE of the US permitted, even abetted it. To add insult to injury, George Bush was re-elected when by rights, if the voters of the country had been paying attention and listening and remembering what our nation was founded on, no amount of voter fraud on earth should have elected him. EVERY patriot should have voted against him.

But he projected empathy which the folks who needed to see could believe(it rang false to me), he projected strength(through stubborn refusal to admit mistakes and sheer repetition of talking points. The sheeple who desperatly needed a leader allowed themselves to be convinced that GW was a leader. Yet there has been a core of folks who have never been bamboozled, who have sought to show the trith. No one listened.

Yes, the Bush WH started the war. But it was with the complacent complicity of the American people too lazy or timid to actually think, too busy with their pursuit of money or leisure to become informed, to analyze, to think. I lay the blame equally with the American people who allowed this and abetted this by voting republican.

For this reason, we need to stay the course. The course needs to change radically. We need to cut out those tax breaks for the rich and pay our bills. We need to go hat in hand to the UN and the ME countries and ask for help. Several ME countries OFFERED to send in police forces-trained folk who were not heathen sinners, who understood the culture. Bushco refused them. We need to ask the insurgents to negotiate, and go in with the knowlege that WE broke it, WE need to fix it. The infrastructure, the economy. Admit that they have problems with us and ask THEM what we need to do to discharge our moral obligation while they allow it to happen. Get Haliburton OUT. Hire Iraquis.

Morally, we cannot leave, and the insurgents make it harder and harder every day. Calling for a cease fire and neutral negotiations to go long enough to get water and electricity back up to par. Get Iraquis employed, not independant contractors. But this won't happen with Bushco. It would show weakness, it would smack of admitting errors were made.

I think the only thing that has a breath of a chance to bring true peace to Iraq(outside of their normal fueding among themselves) would be very public resignations and apologies from the Administration- I'm talking _Everyone_ from Bush down to his cabinet and maybe the joint chiefs. Then whoever takes over will be able to start clean, to act with honor.

It ain't gonna happen.