The Future of the US in Iraq, that is. I predicted the permanence of our involvement in Iraq on the day that GWB invaded the country (and it didn’t take a crystal ball to see that development in advance) Downsize DC doesn’t think permanent occupation of Iraq is a good idea. Neither do I. Here’s a quote:
President Bush wants us to stay in Iraq forever, like we have in Korea. He may get his way, no matter who wins the election in 2008. The same dynamics will still be at work on January 20, 2009. The new President will be afraid to be the one who lost Iraq. We have been here before.
My I’m not afraid letter:
I refuse to sacrifice my rights (any of them) on the pretext that the next attack can be stopped. The next ‘real’ attack (I do not count faux attacks, such as the one purported to smuggle explosive liquids onto airliners, to be real attacks. That was a media event, not a potential attack) does not face any better chance of being stopped by any of the current procedures than the 9-11 attacks could have been stopped.
The war on terror is not a winnable war, because there is no definable point at which we can be said to be victorious; it is a war on a tactic, which can be employed by anyone willing to use those means to achieve an end. The result is a never ending war that drains the treasury and debilitates the military and the spirit of America.
Bring the troops home. All of them. End the war on terror. Re-formulate our foreign policy so as to eliminate the chance of blowback. Only then will we be truly safe from terrorism, because there will be no need for terrorists to target us.
