Iraqis Want U.S. Out

ISOLATED INCIDENT: Iraqis Want U.S. Out

This is a repost of the original from Mike, which links to a recent Krugman post, which I will now comment on. It was very good...thanks Mike!

The Great Paul Krugman weighs in: "Representative John Murtha's speech calling for a quick departure from Iraq was full of passion, but it was also serious and specific in a way rarely seen on the other side of the debate. President Bush and his apologists speak in vague generalities about staying the course and finishing the job. But Mr. Murtha spoke of mounting casualties and lagging recruiting, the rising frequency of insurgent attacks, stagnant oil production and lack of clean water. Mr. Murtha - a much-decorated veteran who cares deeply about America's fighting men and women - argued that our presence in Iraq is making things worse, not better. Meanwhile, the war is destroying the military he loves. And that's why he wants us out as soon as possible."

"Some administration officials accused Mr. Murtha of undermining the troops and giving comfort to the enemy. But that sort of thing no longer works, now that the administration has lost the public's trust. Instead, defenders of our current policy have had to make a substantive argument: we can't leave Iraq now, because a civil war will break out after we're gone. One is tempted to say that they should have thought about that possibility back when they were cheerleading us into this war. But the real question is this: When, exactly, would be a good time to leave Iraq?"

"Pessimists think that Iraq will fall into chaos whenever we leave. If so, we're better off leaving sooner rather than later. As a Marine officer quoted by James Fallows in the current Atlantic Monthly puts it, "We can lose in Iraq and destroy our Army, or we can just lose." [Source]

This starts here, but where it ends, no one knows. I've been an outspoken critic of the war since the run-up began. Now, the American public at large is starting to see what is going on, and the human toll that this conflict is taking. When is a good time to get out? Well, now and never. We preemptively invaded a sovereign nation to among other things steal oil. We destroyed Iraq's infrastructure. They now suffer from nearly 70% unemployment, extreme lack of clean running water, and sporatic electricity. We can't just ruin their society and leave. But look at what this has done to our armed forces. Now, we have kids, yes kids, from the National Guard, who were never meant to serve overseas in a combat situation, serving 13+ month tours of duty in Iraq, and dying in droves. It's not cutting and running to protect ourselves. But, we're more concerned about getting as much black gold out of the ground than anything. Oil is a diminishing resource, and that fact hasn't escaped this administration. Those who control it, control the world. I wonder why, then, that the Bush administration has rejected nearly every mention of alternative energy sources. Someone and their friends have the market cornered.