It troubles me that the President and Congress are continuing the Iraq Shuffle. The Democrats are saying to change the course and are sending mixed messages to the president if he decides to send more troops and the President is making overatures to increase troop strength in Baghdad. However, this isn't what most Americans were voting for when they voted last month. They wanted the war to end. For the many families of soldiers, the return of their sons and daughters would be the best New Year's gift imaginable and the right thing to do.
Based on what is now known as fact, our government was wrong to invade Iraq and each day we continue the occupation of Iraq, we make the region that much more unstable. Since 2003, we have seen instability in Iraq, Iran, and Lebanon which is directly a reponse to our presence. Whether we like to admit it or not, our policies have been directly responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths in Iraq and complicit in the deaths of thousands more in the region.
For the sake of learning from our mistakes and the opportunity for Iraq to self-govern, it is time to return our troops home and replace them with Arab League or UN peacekeepers. War is never a solution in itself, but, if waged, should be a means to bring peace. This strategy has failed miserably in Iraq.
If the government will not act in a reasonable manner on our behalf, it will necessitate us to speak to power on the streets, as well as the halls of Congress--war is over, if you want it.
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