Reply #2: I agree that the issue should guide the discussion, not candidate boosting... [View All]

[mike_c]

...but in my mind there are some other considerations that you've not discussed. First and foremost, the war against Iraq is an international crime against humanity, and it will remain so no matter what the Iraqis or Americans want now. That has to be weighed along with any other considerations. Staying in Iraq continues the crime against peace.

Also, there are no good reasons for continuing to occupy Iraq, or at least none that aren't utterly venal. The invasion and occupation of Iraq are the centerpiece of an imperialist, hegemonist foreign policy that all Americans should be ashamed of. Again, regardless of anyone's desires to continue the occupation, the reasons we invaded and continue to build permanent bases and the mega-embassy should be considered too. They are WRONG for American and wrong for the world.

Finally, the war against Iraq has become an essential element of the war against the Constitution. It helps justify the rape of civil liberties at home, and it is a terrible drain on the U.S. economy-- our children's futures-- and it will continue to bleed us for decades to come.

My point is that what the Iraqis want NOW after five years of occupation, and what Americans want NOW after they supported the invasion and let the situation become what it has become, are really beside the point in my mind. The war is utterly wrong and would be if every Iraqi sent Bush a letter asking for the occupation to continue. The war is wrong no matter how ignoble it will be to admit our crimes and do whatever restitution is necessary. The war is dead wrong no matter how many politicians will have to eat crow, or see the end of their careers, because they enthusiastically bought into it in 2002 and 2003-- and even in 2004. The war is WRONG even if doing the right thing to end the madness brings down the Democratic Party because its leaders were too weak and greedy to stand up when they could have done some good, before all this blood was spilled.