Bush, from today’s press conference…
“I believe that success in Baghdad will have success in helping us secure the homeland.
“What’s different about this conflict than some others is that, if we fail there, the enemy will follow us here. I firmly believe that. And that’s one of the main reasons why I made the decision I made.”
If memory serves me right, terrorists attacked our homeland without the benefit of a war-torn Iraq - without American forces being in Iraq at all, in fact. Bush saying that our being in Baghdad keeps “the enemy” off U.S. soil makes no sense. It was established with full force in 2001 that the U.S. was vulnerable to unconscionable terrorist attack. It’s no secret. I think a lot of people heard about it – even around the world. Including the bad guys. Terrorists following us? Looks more like they’re goading us.
If we stay in Iraq: Sunnis die, Shiites die, American forces & friends die. America has fewer forces and funds to defend the U.S., to supply needed resources to homeland concerns – a situation that weakens our power at home and abroad.
If we leave Iraq: Sunnis die, Shiites die, American forces & friends go home. Having our forces back in the U.S. brings strength back to America. And it makes sense.
Maybe the condition of withdrawal is not immediately full. It’s like a house that’s falling. Many good people are inside holding it up. The first thing you don’t do is send more people in. Getting people out is a little tricky – you hope that the damage of the house falling isn’t entire and doesn’t harm anyone exiting. It has to be done with the deft of a Pick-Up-Stix expert. Totally understood and totally logical.
And with this analogy, I understand when military advisors say that Bush’s troop increase is too little. Sure – you’d need MANY people to come in and hold up each and every beam. But, it’s still a stupid idea. What would that really do, except put more people unnecessarily in danger and just prolong the inevitable.
We’re responsible for cracking the foundation in this situation and creating an unstable state. Instead of maintaining a posture of arrogant, ignorant and illogic, we’ve got to start dealing with the healthiest reality available – even if the punishment does not fit the crime. The Iraqi’s punishment. Our crime.
