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We need courage to end Iraq war

By ANDREW SKERRITT
Published June 23, 2006

If you were hoping for a common sense approach to an end to the war in Iraq, our friends in Washington are reminding us that's not going happen.

Based on a resolution in the U.S House of Representatives last week and debate in the U.S. Senate over the last few days, there will be no withdraw-and-declare-victory strategy. Neither will we "cut and run.''

But even as the politicians trade slogans and sound bites, we hear the daily news of more Americans being killed and maimed. We hear about soldiers being charged with murdering civilian Iraqis.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of the endless carnage and body count. I'm tired of yelling at the radio as well-meaning folks try to explain, justify or defend our Iraq policy. And I'm tired of a generation of leaders who mostly sat out the Vietnam War but are now questioning the patriotism and backbone of anyone who challenges the insane policy we have followed for the last three years.

Persistence in a failed policy doesn't make us brave or patriotic, especially when others must bear the brunt of our error. We need the courage to change course.

Polls show a clear majority of this country thinks the war is a mistake. And, President Bush's optimism aside, for all the money spent and lives sacrificed, things aren't going well in Iraq.

But I'm sure that with all the veterans who live in Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties, many folks around here see things differently and still support the war. Especially after Vietnam, Americans despise anything that looks or sounds like a military retreat. It's no wonder Congress adopted the Americans-will-to-win-the-war-against-terrorism resolution.

But such slogans don't answer the central question that haunts us all. When will the mission be accomplished?

In her speech in Congress last week, U. S Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, quoted a South Florida soldier whom she met in Iraq saying that "until the children in Iraq are safe on the streets, our children won't be safe in Florida or in America.'' I think it's illusory to tie our domestic security to the fate of Iraq.

I say the mission is accomplished when an American can walk on the streets of Baghdad without the need for a bodyguard. I say the mission is accomplished when the president of the United States can announce in advance a trip to Iraq and doesn't have to sneak into the country aboard Air Force One with lights dimmed and curtains drawn. I say mission accomplished when the Baghdad Green Zone is a free trade zone. None of that is going to happen anytime soon, given the present approach.

Supporters of the present war effort keep talking about not leaving Iraq before the job is complete. But if you've been paying attention, you've noticed that the goal line keeps shifting. First it was holding elections, then giving Iraqis a constitution, then it was training Iraqi troops, then having a stable government. When the Iraqis stand up, we stand down, is our latest motto.

Even with more than105,000 fully trained Iraqi troops, some say it's still too early to leave; it's not time to take off the training wheels. I say let's reduce the American troop strength to less than 50,000. Let's give the Iraqis a reason to fight for their country. You don't learn to ride a bike with the training wheels still on.

We are well into year three of this occupation. Before we know it, American forces are going to be in Iraq longer than GIs served in World War II. Iraq isn't postwar Germany; it will need more than a Marshall Plan to put it back together again. Still all the money - $300-billion and counting - and America's can-do attitude and optimism has not created a livable Iraq.

There is some doubt whether even the Iraqis themselves can create the kind of country we Americans would be satisfied with. But let them try. After all, they're the ones who are going to have to live and die there.

Andrew Skerritt can be reached at 813 909-4602 or toll-free 1-800-333-7505, ext. 4602. His e-mail address is askerritt@sptimes.com.

[Last modified June 23, 2006, 06:33:43]