2008 Woodie Awards
No good choices to evacuate Iraq
The terrorist attacks on New York Sept. 11 so wounded our psyche as a nation that the majority of us were intent on striking back: first on Afghanistan, then Iraq.
Rodrigo Diaz
Issue date: 9/24/07 Section: Opinion
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Our leaders were convinced by the rhetoric of the Republican Administration towards Iraq that we would have a quick, precise and cheap war.
What we got is one of the worst humanitarian crises we face on our planet today in which 4.2 million people have already fled their homes to escape violence.
What is not obvious, however, is why we should stay.
Pulling out now would not only worsen the problem, but also remove any sort of stability we are helping to cultivate in this demolished society.
The Democrats, although enjoying a majority in the Senate and House, do not have the 60 Senate-vote majority necessary to make major course changes or troop withdrawal timetables in Iraq.
On Sept. 19, Democratic Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia and Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska pushed forth a bill that would require troops to spend equal time at home as in Iraq, but there was a lack of Republican support.
Gen. David Petraeus' testimony before the Senate, along with Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker during the week of Sept. 10, attempted to draw support for their strategy, keeps an American troop presence in Iraq over the long-term.
In the report, Petraeus spoke of a reduction of 5,700 U.S. troops by Christmas, leaving 130,000 active forces on the ground in Iraq.
In a speech after the testimony, President Bush accepted Petraeus' recommendations and agreed to scale down troops by January 2008.
However, in the speech Bush barely addressed the plight of the Iraqi government and its role in the stabilization of Iraq.
Instead, he cited instances in which tribal sheikhs and other Iraqi community leaders have begun to fight alongside U.S. forces against Al-Qaeda.
Many Iraqis have reacted with skepticism to Petraeus' report and Bush's speech claiming the examples U.S. officials use to point out the stabilization of Iraq are not representative of the realities on the ground.
Iraqi journalist Ayub Nuri has been speaking to Iraqis following the Senate reports and finds both Petraeus and Crocker's outlooks on the country to be overly optimistic.
What we got is one of the worst humanitarian crises we face on our planet today in which 4.2 million people have already fled their homes to escape violence.
What is not obvious, however, is why we should stay.
Pulling out now would not only worsen the problem, but also remove any sort of stability we are helping to cultivate in this demolished society.
The Democrats, although enjoying a majority in the Senate and House, do not have the 60 Senate-vote majority necessary to make major course changes or troop withdrawal timetables in Iraq.
On Sept. 19, Democratic Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia and Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska pushed forth a bill that would require troops to spend equal time at home as in Iraq, but there was a lack of Republican support.
Gen. David Petraeus' testimony before the Senate, along with Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker during the week of Sept. 10, attempted to draw support for their strategy, keeps an American troop presence in Iraq over the long-term.
In the report, Petraeus spoke of a reduction of 5,700 U.S. troops by Christmas, leaving 130,000 active forces on the ground in Iraq.
In a speech after the testimony, President Bush accepted Petraeus' recommendations and agreed to scale down troops by January 2008.
However, in the speech Bush barely addressed the plight of the Iraqi government and its role in the stabilization of Iraq.
Instead, he cited instances in which tribal sheikhs and other Iraqi community leaders have begun to fight alongside U.S. forces against Al-Qaeda.
Many Iraqis have reacted with skepticism to Petraeus' report and Bush's speech claiming the examples U.S. officials use to point out the stabilization of Iraq are not representative of the realities on the ground.
Iraqi journalist Ayub Nuri has been speaking to Iraqis following the Senate reports and finds both Petraeus and Crocker's outlooks on the country to be overly optimistic.
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