Reply #20: Staying the course or "buggering off now" are not our only choices.

[Jim__]

First, I also spent time opposing the war before we went in.

I think we should get out as soon as we reasonably can. However, you have to recognize that we removed a relatively stable (brutal, but stable) environment that existed before we went in. We haven't replaced that environment with anything stable. To leave now, is to doom large numbers of innocent people to death. I realize that "staying the course" also dooms large numbers of innocent people to death.

I think the first thing we should do is stop attacking areas controlled by the insurgents if the insurgents are not killing more innocents than are likely to be killed in any attack by us. Second, I think we should try to get an international force to come in and determine how we can most rapidly return control to the Iraqis. I think American forces should be replaced as soon as possible by international, preferably Middle Eastern, forces for the iterim while power is returned to the Iraqis.

We should never have gone in. Having gone in, we should leave as soon as possible; but, we should minimize the number of innocents who will be killed between now and restoration of power to the Iraqis.

As for the burden of American soldiers in Iraq; it was placed on them by bush. They accepted the burden when they went. Now they are stuck with it. We have to minimize that burden. If we stop attacking, we may greatly reduce the risk to American soldiers.

One of the problems with attacking Iraq was that it clearly ran the risk of putting us in the situation we are in today. No good will come of it; and there is no good way out. Now, we can only try to minimize the bad that comes of it.