Monday, September 05, 2005

Bring the Troops Home Now


Make no mistake about it. We can only partially blame President Bush's tepid and ineffectual response to the Gulf Coast tragedy on him being an inept and unqualified leader. The fact is, the president and his cabinet have been preoccupied with the war in Iraq, diverting much of our country's much-needed financial and military resources to what has clearly become a quagmire. The financial cost to-date is now over $200-billion, with a burn rate of almost $6-billion per week. On the military front, we've lost almost 2000 U.S. soldiers, with the death toll increasing with each passing month. Much of the equipment needed to have helped in the initial hours and days down South--choppers, amphi-trucks, Guardsmen, troops, etc--are not on U.S. soil. Roughly 40% of the Louisiana and Mississippi National Guard units are deployed in Iraq, and the guard itself, as well as our armed services overall, are grossly under-manned and facing unprecedented recruitment challenges. It's clear the war is spiraling out of control. It's clear our agenda for the mission--finding WMD, breaking the alleged Saddam/Al Qaeda ties, installing a U.S.-style Democracy, and leaving the country's security tasks to the Iraq police and army--have not, and cannot, be met. Our goals have failed, and the situation is worsening. The Constitution is a sham, and the country is rapidly on track to becoming a radical Islamic state with civil war on the horizon. Many have said to cut and run would be a disaster for the U.S., for Iraq and for the Middle East overall. But the horrific events this week call for a new paradigm. What's the alternative to leaving? Like we did in Vietnam, should we spend the next ten years watching another 50,000 troops killed while we squander trillions, only to end up with another enemy like the North Vietnamese? This is honor? This is practical? This is finishing the job? In business, there's a phrase "cut your losses and move on." It's time the U.S. government stops the hemorrhaging in Iraq and do the same. The images we all saw this week coming from the Gulf prove that we are sitting ducks for disaster in this country. The lesson to be learned from Katrina's horrific wrath is that our government, based on its embarrassing, inadequate response, rescue, evacuation and relief efforts this week, has left us extremely vulnerable and highly unprepared to deal with a major terrorist attack or even another natural disaster. Until we can keep our own citizens safe, until we can protect our own borders, we have no business wasting precious funds and military resources in Iraq, especially when the overall mission is an unequivocal failure. Andy

2 comments:

The Ostroy Report said...

So, having only 60% of the Louisiana Guard those first critical hours and days was just as effective as having 100%?.....Something to think about.

All_I_Can_Stands said...

So what exactly is going to be your response if we pull out NOW and then the certain chaos and civil war ensues? You are willing to live with that? Or are you simply going to wash your hands and say it is all on Bush's head because he got into it?

It is very simple to write words like "pull out now". It is hard to imagine the mass death that would occur if we did. Try cracking a history book and see what happened when we pulled out of Vietnam: slaughter.

My what souls you lefties are willing to sell to push a political point!