Spring Break
President Bush needs to get serious about withdrawal
Sean Reed
Issue date: 7/23/08 Section: Opinion
Now this isn't to say the U.S. should pull out all or even some troops immediately.
A poor execution of this plot isn't going to end in skinned knees. If we do it wrong, people will die and the country could plunge back into chaos and end up in an even worse state then when it was under the helm of Saddam Hussein. Nobody wants this.
However, we need to send a strong message to Iraqis that we cannot and will not take care of their country forever. To do this, it will require more than the creation of a fictitious timeline without any actual dates.
It will require negotiations with hard deadlines and a true commitment to bringing our troops home.
The fact of the matter is, many Iraqis don't even want us there anymore.
According to the New York Times, a member of the Iraqi Prime Minister's own Dawa Party went on the record saying the core focus for Iraq in these talks was the withdrawal of foreign forces.
"I don't know what the American side thinks, but we consider it the core of the subject," he said.
Given the necessity of removing American troops to the autonomy of Iraq and public sentiment of both the American and Iraqi people, it's time to talk about withdrawal deadlines. Bush's current "plan" is nothing more than wide-scale pandering for his Republican counterparts in the fall. It's high time he actually got serious about policy in Iraq.
Editorials Editor Sean Reed is a senior political science major. His column appears occasionally in the Collegian. Letters and feedback can be sent to letters@collegian.com
A poor execution of this plot isn't going to end in skinned knees. If we do it wrong, people will die and the country could plunge back into chaos and end up in an even worse state then when it was under the helm of Saddam Hussein. Nobody wants this.
However, we need to send a strong message to Iraqis that we cannot and will not take care of their country forever. To do this, it will require more than the creation of a fictitious timeline without any actual dates.
It will require negotiations with hard deadlines and a true commitment to bringing our troops home.
The fact of the matter is, many Iraqis don't even want us there anymore.
According to the New York Times, a member of the Iraqi Prime Minister's own Dawa Party went on the record saying the core focus for Iraq in these talks was the withdrawal of foreign forces.
"I don't know what the American side thinks, but we consider it the core of the subject," he said.
Given the necessity of removing American troops to the autonomy of Iraq and public sentiment of both the American and Iraqi people, it's time to talk about withdrawal deadlines. Bush's current "plan" is nothing more than wide-scale pandering for his Republican counterparts in the fall. It's high time he actually got serious about policy in Iraq.
Editorials Editor Sean Reed is a senior political science major. His column appears occasionally in the Collegian. Letters and feedback can be sent to letters@collegian.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 73
Anti-Fact Consensus
posted 7/24/08 @ 5:46 PM MST
At some point, Democrats decided that facts didn't matter anymore in Iraq. And they nominated just the man to reflect the party's new anti-factual consensus on the war, a Barack Obama who has fixedly ignored changing conditions on the ground. (Continued…)
Captain Pete Hegseth
posted 7/24/08 @ 5:49 PM MST
Five months ago, I returned to Iraq as an embedded journalist, some 18 months after I had completed a combat tour there. It was a worthwhile trip. I returned to Iraq to cover the progress the U. (Continued…)
Drilling Without Oil, Tax Cuts Without Growth
posted 7/25/08 @ 3:38 PM MST
Senator McCain is in the unenviable position of running on the track record of a president with the worst economic performance since Herbert Hoover. He has adopted the strategy of ignoring the record while embracing his predecessor's policies. (Continued…)
Dr. Ayad Allawi
posted 7/25/08 @ 3:40 PM MST
Dr. Ayad Allawi, the former interim Iraqi prime minister previously referred to even by US Congress members as a "Bush puppet," voiced his strong support for a US withdrawal timeline during a Wednesday Congressional hearing. (Continued…)
Bdygard
Craig Hawley
posted 7/25/08 @ 4:07 PM MST
Ah Max putting his two cents in and hyper linking Allawi. LOL!
Once again Max puts his faith in others besides the commanders on the ground and people like Capt. (Continued…)
Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain
posted 7/27/08 @ 11:04 AM MST
Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain was formed to dispel the myth of "Straight talkin", principled, maverick war hero" McCain. Through more than two decades of investigation of his behavior, through open-source documents, public statements of his colleagues, and personal conversations with other Vietnam POWs, we have come to the unavoidable conclusion that he is unfit by virtue of his temperament, character, dishonesty, and emotional instability to serve as President of the United States or in any other position of public trust. (Continued…)
Bdygard
Craig Hawley
posted 7/27/08 @ 11:44 AM MST
Another over hyper linked post brought to you by Max the scumbag 911 lunatic idiotarian.
The group was formed to slime McCain for the left. Remember General, Betrayus Max. (Continued…)
Chris Davis
posted 7/27/08 @ 2:02 PM MST
I hate to tell you this, Sean. You're just a punk with an opinion. You're not a reporter, let alone a national reporter. Please stick to local columns. (Continued…)
Craig Hawley
posted 7/27/08 @ 4:15 PM MST
Hey Chris I agree sometimes the Collegian blows assignments and stories , but somehow I doubt that calling him a punk is helpful.
Now I don't want to get into a fight with you , but could not one say that your just a punk Alum with an opinion. (Continued…)
McCain would start WWIV
posted 7/28/08 @ 9:02 AM MST
A former White House national security adviser says if John McCain becomes the next US president the world will move toward World War IV.
Former US President Jimmy Carter's national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski criticized US officials in Senator McCain's camp for pushing the presumptive Republican nominee toward a radical foreign policy on issues such as Iran. (Continued…)
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