The Future of Iraq

I don’t think anyone has the answer for the future of Iraq but the Iraqi people themselves. As I stated before, I think we need to get out as soon as we can, but we can’t just vacate by an arbitrary deadline. My feeling is that most Iraqi citizens are embracing democracy, though they are still a little timid from years of oppression. That can’t be changed overnight, or even in 2 ½ years. It takes a while. I don’t think there is any question that a strong Islamic democracy in the region can be a very powerful and good thing for the whole world. We need to support that effort until the Iraqi people can take it over themselves. In the long rung, we need a friend in that part of the world.

We recently passed the 2000 death milestone, which is a very very sad thing. A lot of people wonder if that is worth it. I don’t know anyone who has died in Iraq. I only know one person in Iraq right now, and we aren’t terribly close. That is why it is difficult for me to weigh in on the “is it worth it?” debate. I have to think that all of the Iraqi people who have lost thousands of loved ones to the Hussein regime are incredibly grateful for our fallen men and women. So, in that sense, maybe it hasn’t been worth it for us as a country, but it is as world citizens.

I mentioned in my last post that I don’t fully support the administration any more, but I still think we are doing a good thing in Iraq. So, although I don’t agree with some of the administration's answers, I do think that “stay the course” is probably the best idea for now.