Iraq and the Aftermath

Many people are calling for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. And there is plenty of reason to do so. There is not a rush of men and women running to military recruiting stations to sign up to fight for Bush and Rumsfeld's war. Noticably absent are the Bush twins, who should be setting an example for their peers.

In fact, those people of military service age who voted for Bush and Cheney are, also, noticably absent in supporting the war for which they voted. Some people claim that this is reason to pull out. I would tend to agree. Except for something no one seems to be talking about. That is, the mess that has become Iraq due to the actions of the Bush administration.

At this point, it no longer matters which Americans supported the war in the beginning. What does matter is that we now have a responsiblity to keep the Iraqi people safe. We created this mess.

No, I did not vote for Bush. I would rather stand in cold water and hold a live wire in my hand, than ever vote for the likes of that group. So, no, I do not feel that anything I did brought this devastation to Iraq. But I am an American. Like it or not, Bush has acted in my name. Legally, Crawford's Village Idiot lives in the White House, and, acts in my name.

In my name, and the name of all Americans, he has torn apart a country. My fear is for what will happen to the Iraqi people if we pull out before the country is stable. There were no Islamic insurgents there before we marched in to free them from Saddam (rather insure we controlled some oil in the Middle East).

Now, they are torn apart and no one lives without fear of their lives on a daily basis. And we are responsible.

Leaving will not end our responsiblity. But I do not have a solution. Part of me thinks we should leave. Part of me thinks that to leave now is the ultimate act of cowardice. We created this mess, we have the responsiblity to clean it up.

Bush is not the person to lead us out of Iraq in a moral way. Those who put huge profits and tax cuts above the future of the American people, and invade countries for oil, are unfit to lead. But we are stuck with this bunch until January 2009. We can hold out, but can the Iraqi people?