I am glad John Kerry is not the President of the United States. His ideas regarding the war in Iraq are ridiculous, even scary. The very last thing we need in Iraq is to set up a timetable for withdrawal. It is simply a recipe for disaster.
Senator Kerry is pushing for a timetable for withdrawal when what we truly need to focus on is giving our troops the support they need so they can finish the job they started. Their mission is to stabilize the nation so it can establish a democracy that will one day be a model that all in the Middle East can follow and appreciate. It is not an easy road, and more than 2,500 brave men and women have died working to make it a reality. It is no way to honor those who have died to pull out before the job is complete.
This is a divisive issue, but more and more people are realizing the sheer idiocy of setting up a timetable for withdrawal. In Congress, more and more Democrats are realizing we must stay the course. Senator Kerry is in a small minority when it comes to the issue of how to handle this war. I shudder to think where we would be had he been elected.
Kerry's actions might have an ulterior motive, as well. He has not ruled out running for the Democratic Party nomination for president. Senator Kerry might be attempting to take the side that will appeal to the most voters in 2008. If he is, he's going about it the wrong way, seeing as how most polls indicate the majority of civilians are against a timetable for withdrawal. If he wants to please the most voters, it will mean he has to flip-flop on this issue, which is not exactly a challenge for him.
It is simple: A timetable is no way to win. It would likely lead to the crumbling of Iraq's infant democracy. The new government in Iraq is, in many ways, like a young child. We need to oversee this government until is strong enough to stand on its own and fend for itself against anarchy and terrorists.
The Iraqi government is taking on more and more responsibility all the time. To pull out now would be to remove a major source of stability for Iraq. Prime Minister Nuri Kamil al- Maliki is working as hard as any politician can, and we see progress daily.
Imagine for a moment if the U.S. Congress had forced Roosevelt to commit to a timetable. Imagine if, in 1943, Congress committed to pulling out of the European and/or Pacific theaters. These might have had disastrous effects on what is now the present day. England, France, Canada, Russia and the rest of the allies would have had little chance against the Germans, Japanese and Italians if America had left them on their own. The same is true today for the people of Iraq, the Middle East and the rest of the world.
Patience is a virtue, and that is what is required of us now. President Bush made a commitment to the people of Iraq that we would see this through until the end. Now that the end is in sight, there are people who want to cut our losses and run, abandoning the people of Iraq. We cannot and will not accept this and neither should Congress.
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