Al-Maliki wants us out...is it time to "cut and run?"
By Todd Anthony (http://rightisright.squarespace.com)
From the “don’t let the door hit you in the ass” department, Fox News is reporting that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki stated that American troops can withdraw from his country at any time.
Our response should be emphatically, “See ya...”
I have and will be a proponent for “finishing the job” in Iraq, but the ungrateful al-Maliki’s statement reeks of lassitude. Despite four years of bloodshed from American soldiers, as well as countless deaths in country, the situation has refused to stabilize.
If they don’t want us there, then maybe it IS time to exit stage left and leave the unappreciative Iraqis to their sectarian violence and lack of tolerance for anyone with different belief systems.
Unfortunately, the idea of withdrawing is in vogue on the Left and is starting to engulf the Right as well.
The blame lies with countless folks in the aristocracy, including the following:
1. President Bush; the President and his administration, primarily neocons like Donald Rumsfeld, refused to follow the Powell Doctrine by using overwhelming force to usurp the Saddam Hussein-led government. Despite Rumsfeld’s desire to prosecute a war “on the cheap,” our fine fighting military bravely and professionally toppled the despot. Furthermore, the entire administration failed to plan for post-war Iraqi (i.e. prosecuting the peace).
2. Democratic leadership and the anti-war crowd; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s famous statement prior to the surge’s prosecution, "I believe ... that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything, as is shown by the extreme violence in Iraq this week,” embodies the lack of mettle throughout the entire Democrat Party. This sort of sedition has never been as evident as it has been during the Democratic Primary debates; each potential candidate has backtracked on his/her vote, despite many of the candidates categorically support for BOTH President Bush as well President Clinton during the 1990’s.
Moreover, their lack of will to prosecute the most important war of our generation is absolutely repugnant. Their inability to confront radical Islamic terrorists has inspired nothing with the majority of Americans.
The anti-war crowd has assumed control over much of the Democratic Party. These leftist fringe groups have yelled the loudest, and harassed more than any other fringe group, forcing the Democratic leadership to pander and conform to their radical belief system; not that the Democrats haven’t been willing participants (anything in which to attack President Bush).
3. Al-Maliki and the Iraqi government; despite the American military presence in the region, Sunni insurgents and Shiite-death squads still operate with impunity. With that said, violence has decreased. Blame cannot lie with the military but rather with the partisan al-Maliki government. Their failure to act judiciously and equitably has plunged the country to the verge of civil war. Furthermore, their inability to share oil revenues with the three primary ethnic groups, as well as their of de-Baathification has only increased to the dissension within the country.
With that said, the following question remains: what is the correct course of action? The assumed consequences for withdrawing from country could be potentially disastrous, with the worst possible scenario being a regional conflagration involving Iran, Turkey, Jordan, and Iran, possibly Israel as well.
Moreover, the Middle East has been the 20th and 21st century versions of the Wild West, where either lawlessness or vigilante justice controls society. The twisted brand of Islam has spread throughout Africa, Asia, and Europe has threatens to envelop the Western Hemisphere.
The idea of somehow establishing twin democracies in the Muslim world has been quixotic to the Bush administration. At this stage however, the idea of a stable democracy in Iraq is more fantasy than reality.
Socialize this! 
Personalize this! 
Radicalize this!
From the “don’t let the door hit you in the ass” department, Fox News is reporting that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki stated that American troops can withdraw from his country at any time.
Our response should be emphatically, “See ya...”
I have and will be a proponent for “finishing the job” in Iraq, but the ungrateful al-Maliki’s statement reeks of lassitude. Despite four years of bloodshed from American soldiers, as well as countless deaths in country, the situation has refused to stabilize.
If they don’t want us there, then maybe it IS time to exit stage left and leave the unappreciative Iraqis to their sectarian violence and lack of tolerance for anyone with different belief systems.
Unfortunately, the idea of withdrawing is in vogue on the Left and is starting to engulf the Right as well.
The blame lies with countless folks in the aristocracy, including the following:
1. President Bush; the President and his administration, primarily neocons like Donald Rumsfeld, refused to follow the Powell Doctrine by using overwhelming force to usurp the Saddam Hussein-led government. Despite Rumsfeld’s desire to prosecute a war “on the cheap,” our fine fighting military bravely and professionally toppled the despot. Furthermore, the entire administration failed to plan for post-war Iraqi (i.e. prosecuting the peace).
2. Democratic leadership and the anti-war crowd; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s famous statement prior to the surge’s prosecution, "I believe ... that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything, as is shown by the extreme violence in Iraq this week,” embodies the lack of mettle throughout the entire Democrat Party. This sort of sedition has never been as evident as it has been during the Democratic Primary debates; each potential candidate has backtracked on his/her vote, despite many of the candidates categorically support for BOTH President Bush as well President Clinton during the 1990’s.
Moreover, their lack of will to prosecute the most important war of our generation is absolutely repugnant. Their inability to confront radical Islamic terrorists has inspired nothing with the majority of Americans.
The anti-war crowd has assumed control over much of the Democratic Party. These leftist fringe groups have yelled the loudest, and harassed more than any other fringe group, forcing the Democratic leadership to pander and conform to their radical belief system; not that the Democrats haven’t been willing participants (anything in which to attack President Bush).
3. Al-Maliki and the Iraqi government; despite the American military presence in the region, Sunni insurgents and Shiite-death squads still operate with impunity. With that said, violence has decreased. Blame cannot lie with the military but rather with the partisan al-Maliki government. Their failure to act judiciously and equitably has plunged the country to the verge of civil war. Furthermore, their inability to share oil revenues with the three primary ethnic groups, as well as their of de-Baathification has only increased to the dissension within the country.
With that said, the following question remains: what is the correct course of action? The assumed consequences for withdrawing from country could be potentially disastrous, with the worst possible scenario being a regional conflagration involving Iran, Turkey, Jordan, and Iran, possibly Israel as well.
Moreover, the Middle East has been the 20th and 21st century versions of the Wild West, where either lawlessness or vigilante justice controls society. The twisted brand of Islam has spread throughout Africa, Asia, and Europe has threatens to envelop the Western Hemisphere.
The idea of somehow establishing twin democracies in the Muslim world has been quixotic to the Bush administration. At this stage however, the idea of a stable democracy in Iraq is more fantasy than reality.
Socialize this! Personalize this!
Radicalize this!
