How should we proceed in Iraq

[Lori]

Do you think we should send more troops? Plan for withdrawal? Something else?

[Lori]

I have no idea. Sean and I were just talking about how we find it very frustrating, because we don't feel like people are asking the right questions. Iraqi people are dying every day, and Baghdad is a horrific place to live, both largely because of our actions there. The question shouldn't be where we want our money going, or even primarily about American lives, but about what we can do to stop Iraqi people from being killed. I think that bringing safety and stability back to Iraq (not in the sense of getting in a regime we like, but just of stopping civilians from being killed on a daily basis) should be the focus. If that means withdrawing, then by all means we should withdraw. If that means keeping troops there, or even temporarily sending in more troops, I think we have a responsiblity to do that, until the threat to civilians is stabilized.

I would love us to just be able to withdraw, but I haven't heard any clear arguments for why that would make things safer for the Iraqi people. I also haven't heard any reasons for why staying would make it safer. I just find it so frustrating that we are taking such a nationalistic stance about this, and only looking at it terms of American interests. I opposed invading, but now that we did, and people are dying, I think our primary concern should be doing whatever we possibly can to make things safe for Iraqi civilians, and it frustrates me that that seems left out of the discussion.

I'm just tired of this being framed as completely about American lives and interests, when the lives of the Iraqi people should be our first concern, given that they are at the most risk. I have absolutely no idea what would be the best course of action to make things safest for them, because it doesn't seem like anybody is taking that all that seriously. So I'd love to say that, sure, I support troop withdrawal and all the politicans who are behind it, but I can't, because I have no idea what affect it would have on the people in Iraq. There are lots of reasons why I don't think a troop surge is a good idea, but I see no reason to assume that would make Iraq safer, either, since sending troops there is the reason (not the only, but certainly the biggest by far) why it's so dangerous there in the first place, and it could very easily make things worse. It just seems like everybody seems so sure that the course of action they want is right, but I haven't seen anybody give a concrete reason why their course of action would be best for the people of Iraq, in terms of keeping civilians safe.

[gr8mommy]

I think the Iraqi government needs to get serious about how THEY are handling things, which would ease our exit no matter what strategy we employ.

[Jo]

Lori-I feel similarly to you. I just don't know what the answer is at this point and I can't fathom a way to withdraw anytime in the near future without the Iraqis suffering further.

[Jejune]

I'm very, very torn. I feel like the only Democrat in the world who isn't sure we should leave. I think there's a way to make this work, but I haven't any faith in...well...anyone in charge...that we'll do it the right way.

On the other hand, one of my closest friends had a brother in Iraq. His unit was most frequently sent into hot spots, and because they patrolled 24/7, the area would be cleaned up pretty fast. But, and this is a big but, she said the violence just moved outward when they arrived. The area they were in was fine, but the areas around it were exploding. She doesn't think we can contain the violence. I think she may have a point.

Anyway, I'll come back to this, because there's a New Yorker article from last year that I think is relevant, and that I'd like to find, but basically, I'm torn.

[Lori]

I feel like the only Democrat in the world who isn't sure we should leave.

Sean and I have been saying the same thing.

I definitely don't think we should escalate the war. But, to imagine that withdrawing our troops and ending the war are the same thing just seems very naive to me, and yet that seems to be what a lot of people are doing. I think we need to put more effort into really thinking through--and not alone, but with the Iraqis and the international community--what the best course of action to make Iraq safer is, and then do that. We invaded because there was public support for it so the government was able to get away with it, and that wasn't the right thing to do. I think that withdrawing because there's public support for it so the government can get away with it wouldn't be the right thing, either, unless we had some very good reasons to think that it would lead to less violence, rather than more.

[Grannyvon]

About the ONLY thing I agree with John McClain is that we cannot withdraw troops immediately. The extra troops were have just sent are doing their job. Violence has decreased. Ask your soldier friends that are there they want to see what they can call a victory or they feel they have served in vain. I am sure that being brought up in a military family probably helps me make my decision.