Quote of the Day: “There is no security on this earth; there is only opportunity.” — Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) WWII Supreme Allied Commander of the Southwest Pacific, Supreme United Nations Commander
Under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) of 2008, the U.S. is scheduled to remove the remaining 50,000 troops from Iraq at the end of this year.
Ugly developments seem deliberately designed to provoke us into staying. And the Obama Administration is “offering” (pressuring?) the Iraqi government to accept the ongoing presence of 10,000 troops.
You may borrow from or copy this letter…
The status of Forces Agreement requires removal of all troops from Iraq at the end of the year. However, I believe you should tell the President to begin the safe withdrawal of forces IMMEDIATELY. Here’s why…
Our enemies WANT us to remain in Iraq, because they want America to drown in blood and red ink. That’s why they’ve already started increasing their attacks on U.S. soldiers and the Iraqi government…
* 2 American soldiers were killed in Iraq last week, and 15 died in June — the deadliest month in two years
* 35 Iraqis were killed, and two dozen more wounded, from two bomb blasts on a government building north of Baghdad
If our troops remain for the rest of the year, will the coming months be more bloody? Will more…
* American servicemen die?
* Iraqis die from terrorist attacks?
I believe this will give the Pentagon the excuse that Iraqi security forces “aren’t ready” to take control. The President will be easily persuaded to remain in Iraq. Indeed, he already seems to be pressuring the Iraqi government to agree to allow 10,000 troops to stay. That would be a deadly mistake . . .
* It will provide an excuse for Muqtada al-Sadr and others to launch new attacks
* Which will in turn provoke the U.S. into sending in more troops, which will mean more attacks
* And will cost tens of billions of dollars we don’t have
Withdrawal from Iraq may get ugly before the dust settles. Yet everyone agrees that withdrawal needs to happen sometime.
Please consider these three reasons why NOW is the time…
1. Staying can make things worse. Foreign occupations invariably DESTABILIZE countries and are a cause of internal conflicts.
2. There are people in the region that can do the work needed. Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Iraqi’s own patriotic nationalism will all serve as counterweights to Iranian influence in the country. http://t.co/yxHxXNH
3. We need to cut back. American lives and treasure would be spared.
If we wait one year, five years, or ten years, there will always been an excuse to say that Iraq “isn’t ready” for us to leave. Let’s stop the excuses. Let’s leave now!
END LETTER
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James Wilson
Policy Research Director
DownsizeDC.org, Inc