iraq withdrawl

Get out now. Get out fast. Should never have been there in the first place. For a perspective on how I felt in 2005 see "Archive Of Past Postings - Iraq"

4,500+ American dead. 100,000+ Iraqi dead. For what? The overthrow of one dictator? Not worth it.

No weapons of mass destruction were found. No al Qaeda links confirmed. The Iraqi people didn't rise up and provide for their own governance and security. The country divided along sectarian lines.

I tear and shake my head when I read:

For the first time, people were buying air conditioners and washing machines
Home prices are still rising in Baghdad
Private banks accounts are now allowed; many Iraqis will proudly show you their ATM cards

I doubt this is of any comfort to the wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters of those who died or were maimed in this war.

And I get angry when I read "While every soldier's life is precious, it is astonishing how relatively few Americans were called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice in the Iraq war" written by someone who has never put the body of an American warrior in a body bag.

I would like to think that two - three years from now I'll look at Iraq and be of a different opinion. That through our sacrifice a democracy in Iraq has given rise to a more stable, less volatile Middle East. That terror threats have been diminished. That the Iraqi people are free to live and worship as they choose without fear of reprisal. It could happen. I could also win the lottery.

December, 2011