Violence is escalating in Iraq. It's now being dubbed a "civil war" by NBC News and I'm sure others. The number of US soldiers who have died is approaching 3000. We, the Democrats, want the troops home and we want them home now. This will largely solve the problem in Iraq, or so we believe. The immediate withdrawal of troops (IWOT, my name) is something that united us through the midterm elections and it has become a buzzphrase as of late.
I read an article this week that made me question whether or not the IWOT is actually the most prudent action. The point was raised in the article that maybe what Iraq needs right now to curtail increasing violence is the presence of more US troops instead of less. Some argue that there are not enough US soldiers there right now to adequately do what needs to be done and thus the civil violence spins out of control. I hadn't thought about it that way before.
Or that more troops are needed to stay there longer in order to properly train the Iraqi army in the ways of whatever we're training them to be/do. Again, I hadn't considered this before.
I'm not saying I'm backing Bush or agreeing with his commitment to keep troops in Iraq. But I am saying that toeing the party line isn't always the best action. It's fun to rally behind a cause and makes us feel united, especially because we are a generation keen on protesting, regardless of the issue. However, we/I might not completely understand the ramifications of IWOT or other political actions we speak out against. I have to remind myself to consider what is involved in a political action or decision and must understand other vantage points beyond my own before I can fairly denounce everything un-Democratic.
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In my mind it's not so much an issue of IWOT (nice acronym), but of the fact that maybe we shouldn't have gone to Iraq in the first place. Hindsight being 20/20, the Dems now being in place, everyone is looking for a way to turn back time and just make this go away. (I just sounded like a Republican there.) There are no easy answers to this conflict because the U.S. went into it with no clear plan and no realistic goals. And while "cutting and running" may seem cowardly, there's got to be a way out without staying for a few more years, and losing so many more lives. Thank God it is not my job to find that way.
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