About the day that has taken almost 9 years to achieve-the withdrawal of all troops from Iraq.
Now, for me, this is a welcome development. I’ve been wishing for this day since March of 2003. If you are a long time reader, you know I am know Johnny come lately to being opposed to our little Mesopotamian excursion. I have been opposed to the idea, since I was briefed on the logistics plans for supporting 5 carriers in the Gulf in 2002. ( I along with a lot of others asked the very pertinent question of :”Why? Why does this require 5 carriers-especially against a nation with no more real air threat”.) Why not have 2 or 3 carriers and put the other aircraft ashore? And why, in particular, do you make a carrier that will already have been on cruise for seven months-extend for another 4, just to get the Super Hornet into the fray. Transpac them from Australia and send the already tired carrier home.
But common sense approaches were not applied then-and common sense seems not to be prevailing in the opposition today. The popular meme now is that Obama somehow “bungled” the negotiations. And that it now allows Iran to exert undue influence in Iraq. Both are ludicrous propositions. Invading Iraq gave Iran undue influence in the region-our leaving or staying was never going to change that.
And its not a surprise the Iraqis wanted us out of the place-they have been saying it consistently since 2008. That’s why they held their ground on not allowing judicial immunity for American troops. If anyone bungled-it was those neocon advisers who somehow felt we could change their minds and get them to cave on an issue that is a rallying point for a lot of Iraqis.
I voted for Obama because I was opposed to “war without end amen”. And while it took him way too long to get this accomplished-at least it is being accomplished. Its time for the Iraqis to accept the burden of being screwed up on their own and stop looking to us to shield them from their own stupidity. Besides-there are no numbers of Arabs that are worth the life of a single American. I felt that way in 2003, I still feel that way now.
Of course the job really won’t be done, till we drawdown in Kuwait, and reduce numbers at Ft Apache too. (Bahrain). And regardless of political persuasion-a heck of a lot of Americans have not learned that when it comes to the Middle East, less is more.
So I am looking forward to something to celebrate this December-finally getting US troops out of Iraq.
Now if we could just get them out of that other hell-hole in Central Asia…………..