War in Iraq

The Bush administration released a report today confirming the US will continue the war in Iraq and no timetable will be given for the withdrawal. Bush said Tuesday that he would decide on troop withdrawals based on the capacity of the Iraqis to take the fight to the enemy and recommendations from commanders on the ground.

The report went on to say there are about 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. The Pentagon has not committed to any specific drawdown of U.S. forces next year beyond the announced plan to pull back 28,000 troops that were added this fall for extra security during the election.

In the report, the Bush administration says it is working along a political track to help the Iraqis isolate enemies from those who want to participate in the democratic political process. The "enemy" is a combination of Iraqis who reject democratic reforms, Saddam loyalists and terrorists and others inspired by al-Qaeda.

No matter what your opinion is regarding this war, the decision for our troops to remain is the right decision. You cannot invade a country and then leave it in turmoil. If civil war were to erupt in Iraq the stability of the entire region would collapse and a new dictator would arise (maybe even one worse than Hussein) and threaten the security of the entire world.

The reason the security of the entire world is at stake is because many countries’ economies, including the United States, are dependent on oil. If these supplies are threatened due to war in the region, gas prices will surge and that helps no one. So while you might not agree with the reasons the troops are in Iraq, by keeping the region stable it helps prevent a world economic disaster. I also feel very uncomfortable sending soldiers to die because of gas prices but because of the current administration’s poor vision this is the reality we are confronted with. We’ll either pay for this war now or possibly pay for a bigger war in the future and definitely pay much more at the pump either way.

Let me also explain what I mean when I said the Bush administration had poor vision. This administration underestimated the cost and timetable for enslaving Iraq. Now when the reality is realized it’s too late to withdraw because we would be faced with more troubles if we leave.

There were three primary reasons the US invaded Iraq:

1. Eliminate the evidence of WMD left over from the Reagan administration that could be used on our allies in the region. I believe WMDs were there but since they had American flags on the barrels this had to be covered up.
2. Establish a US presence in the region to gain access to oil.
3. Take over the Iraqi military and use them to carry out US sponsored missions in the region. Iraq is the strongest military in the region and now the US is pulling the strings to this resource. The US could even use this resource to threaten or invade Syria and Iran which I will talk about later.

It is important to note that establishing a democracy will be nearly impossible within a culture like Iraq. Religion is their politics and nothing we do or say will ever change this; they will fight to the death if we try to change this. This culture despises and will resist any attempt at change. If you ask an Iraqi to choose either having his daughter walking down Main Street in a mini skirt or putting Sadam Hussein back in power; 99.999% will choose Sadam Hussein. This culture does not want democracy they like to be told what to do. How else do you convince people to blow themselves up?

One disturbing statement the report makes is:

Any support that countries, such as Syria or Iran, are giving to terrorists or insurgents must be neutralized. The Iraqi government must make sure its ministries can sustain a national army. And Iraqi security forces must not be infiltrated by those not aligned with the new Iraqi government.

This sounds to me like we are training the Iraqi soldiers as puppets for the US government to use to invade Syria and Iran. Both of these countries are a haven for terrorists and it would be nice if these forces were neutralized but I disagree with this entire scenario. How can an administration that claims to be of utmost morals send not only our soldiers to die but also enslave an entire country and send those people off to die?

In my opinion, Saudia Arabia is a bigger threat than either Syria or Iran. Incidentally, it is important to note that Saudia Arabia is the home to Osama Bin Laden and is the primary location of his entire fortune. The Bush administration has not pressured this country because of the personal business dealings Bush and Cheney have with the Saudis.

While I despise war and believe it should be used only for defense; I support Bush's statement when he says it’s too late to withdraw from Iraq now. If we abandon Iraq now we risk a potentially bigger threat in the future and definitely jeopardize oil prices that could adversely affect the world economy.

God Bless the troops in Iraq and bring them all home safely.