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A Case for Withdrawal From Iraq Armstrong Williams As I sat down to listen to our president speak to the nation on the fourth anniversary of the official start of the Iraq war, I kept an open mind. I listened with respect as he asked us to be patient and reminded us that the troop surge in Baghdad "will take months, not days or weeks" to create stability. I watched his serious face and sad eyes as he admitted that there will continue to be "bad days ahead." And after his speech I honestly considered his ideas and how they will affect the current situation in Iraq and future stability of the world. For in the past, I have given my utmost trust to our president and his administration. Sadly many promises have not been fulfilled (and I'm not just talking about the failed Iraq war). Remember his emphatic "Mission accomplished!" speech on the USS Abraham Lincoln? Remember his call to "Bring ‘em on!" and the long-time denial about the truth in Iraq? Remember Vice President Cheney's original prediction that the war would only last a few months, then later predicting it was in its "last throes," and currently claiming that Britain's recent withdrawal was a positive sign? All of these statements led the country to begin losing faith in the administration's handling of the war. Hence, we have seen our president's approval ratings fall and continue to fall over the years. Story Continues Below
We've seen the American people completely call for change with the election of a Democratic House and Senate, and at the local level putting the majority of governors' mansions and state legislatures in the hands of Democrats. And if our president and his staff aren't careful with their statements and strategies about Iraq, they will all but lock up the Democrat's return to Oval Office in 2009. So after an hour or so of deliberation about the war, I asked myself one simple — albeit difficult — question: Will American troops and civilians be safer if we stay in Iraq indefinitely, or withdraw over the next year? And the answer I came to was also very simple — albeit difficult to admit and enact: Less Americans will die, suffer, and/or become injured if we begin withdrawing from Iraq by 2009. There are several reasons why I have come to the conclusion that we need to begin a phased withdrawal from Iraq. First, I examined the will of the Iraqi people themselves. According to the latest survey by ABC News, 51 percent of Iraqis say that violence against United States forces is acceptable, and only 18 percent have confidence in U.S. and allied troops. Regardless of their desire to see stability, regardless of their desire to support democracy, and regardless of their willingness to accept us initially, the majority of Iraqis no longer care about the safety of American troops. Furthermore, four in five Iraqis oppose the presence of U.S. troops and a third want them to leave immediately. This is not just a sad step in a long process — it is clear proof that we are no longer welcome. Second, I considered the safety of American troops and civilians in Iraq. By staying in Iraq, we are risking the lives of hundreds of thousands of men and women serving in Iraq. Already over 3,200 U.S. troops have died and tens of thousands of others have been injured physically, mentally, and emotionally for life. According to every expert, these numbers will continue to rise with each passing day in Iraq. And that is unacceptable — especially because with a phased withdrawal we can achieve the same success, with much less risk. The third aspect of this situation I considered is the safety of our homeland. The prevailing talk from our president is that if we withdraw from Iraq, civilians here at home will be in more danger. They argue that in the wake of chaos in Iraq, terrorism will grow, and attacks on American soil will increase. But this is a false premise, because Iraq is already in chaos. It literally is in a state of disarray and already a breeding ground for terrorists. This proves that our security at home has more to do with securing our borders, monitoring our enemies, and our fight in Afghanistan than in the success of Iraq. Certainly, a stable democracy in Iraq will help the stability of the Middle East, but it will not end terrorism, and sadly it will not even curb it. It will only push al-Qaida and other radical groups onto different soils. These three reasons — the Iraqi's will, the safety of our troops, and our homeland security — have led me to call for a withdrawal of American troops from Iraq by 2009. Not only is this enough time to allow the Iraqi forces and police units to get trained and gain control of their respective domains, but it also provides enough time for the American troops to continue to assist when and where it is necessary as their numbers decline.
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