well, we're not there yet but i just didn't feel right waiting until the last minute ... i am writing this as a plea to supporters of various Democratic leaders in the hope that they will push for an "OUT NOW" position on Iraq ...
there have been many plans and many ideas offered by a wide array of prominent Democrats ... with a Democrat in the WH, perhaps many of these plans could have served the interests of the American people, the Iraqi people, and the cause of world peace ... but Democrats are not in the WH ...
i ask all responding to this thread whether they believe things are improving every day we remain in Iraq or whether things are getting worse? my belief is that each and every day we remain costs us, the Iraqis, and the hope for some kind of peace in the Middle East ... regardless of what obligation some may believe the US has to Iraq, the bottom line is that we are not, can not and will not meet that obligation ... all we're doing is postponing the inevitable, getting lots of people killed and destroying any semblance of the US playing a positive role in the country, in the region or anywhere else in the world ...
if you believe, as i do, that things are getting worse in Iraq each and every day and the US military has become a target for insurgents and that we are taking a beating in the propaganda battle, it makes no sense to continue on the current course ... ideas about staying another month, or another 6 months or 12 months or 24 months as some Democrats have proposed, just don't make any sense at all ... implicit in such strategies is the underlying belief that US presence, as each day passes, is making a positive contribution ... if you believe that, I guess your views are at least consistent with the policies you advocate ... i don't believe the US is making a positive contribution as each day passes ...
i hope you take the time to watch the following video (Murtha on Face the Nation today) and read the powerful essay excerpted below ... some Democrats believe we can win back support of military families by supporting vets as candidates - it seems unlikely this approach will work for the author of the following article ...
Murtha video:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/03/05.html#a7402Murtha excerpt:
The public is way ahead of what’s going on in Washington. They no longer believe it. The troops themselves, 70 percent of the troops said we want to come home within a year. The only solution to this is to redeploy. Let me tell you, the only people who want us in Iraq is Iran and al-Qaeda. I've talked to a top-level commander the other day, it was about two weeks ago, and he said China wants us there also. Why? Because we’re depleting our resources, our troop resources and our fiscal resources.source:
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0305-28.htmNo Deals for Democrats: Quit Bargaining with the Lives of Our Loved Onesby Stacy Bannerman
It’s easy to make deals with soldiers’ lives when it’s not your soldier. It’s pretty simple to postpone coming up with an exit strategy when your loved ones are already home.
What’s not so easy is sitting across from a familiar stranger, someone who looks like your loved one, but isn’t, not quite. What’s even harder is dining next to an empty chair, day after day, month after month, and year after year. Taking your meals at the bedside of what’s left of your son lying in intensive care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center is a whole different degree of difficult.
Diane Benson’s 26-year-old boy was still unconscious when he arrived at Walter Reed after being hit by a roadside bomb in Tikrit, north of Baghdad. Latseen Benson, in the 101st Airborne, had his legs blown off, along with part of an arm. If he survives—and it’s still a pretty big if—he will never again sit in his old chair at his mother’s table. Negotiate that, Senator Clinton.
Anne Roesler’s son just returned from his third deployment to Iraq in three years. Before he left in August, he told his mom that, if he made it back this time, it would take years for him to recover. Iraq War veterans are already exhibiting post-combat mental health challenges at unprecedented levels.
lots more ...
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