President Obama recently announced his proposed withdrawal date from Iraq of August 31, 2010. All but about 35,000 to 50,000 troops would be set home to the US, while the others remain for counter-terrorism and other security purposes until 2011.
Critics object that the number of Iraqi troops set to return home is not high enough. But I think they fail to appreciate that the US needs a military, ground presence to prevent a coup d’état. After all, we created this chaos in Iraq, and now we must do our best to tidy up. And that may mean leaving some troops in Iraq, which is still a drastic improvement over the current situation.
Not everyone disagrees with Obama's Iraqi withdrawal plan. An unlikely supporter seems to believe that Obama is acting appropriately. According to the AP, "Arizona Sen. John McCain, who sparred with Obama on the merits of a timetable for the war in a bid for the presidency: said Obama's plan 'is one that can keep us on the right path in Iraq.'" This is surprising because McCain practically implied that Obama was an unfit leader. Nevertheless, I couldn't agree more with McCain on this issue.
Over 4,000 men and women have died in Iraq. War is a terrible proposition that does not usually end on a happy note. But at least this war is winding down after almost six years in Iraq. Now it is time to follow President Obama's plan and send our troops home for good.
Bryan Wisotsky, Storybook Vacations
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Guest Post: Obama Sets Iraqi Troops Withdrawal Timeline
The Following is a guest post:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments from many different points of view are welcome. But I will not publish any comments that are hateful, insulting, or filled with profanity. I welcome and encourage dialogue and disagreement but will not publish any hate speech.