Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Candidate Review - The Iraq War - Bill Richardson

I like how Richardson starts out his issues page on Iraq.
I have a one-point plan on the Iraq War -- END IT.
Nice. He has several planks of his plan, several of which seem to be removing all troops from Iraq.
Only when the Iraqis know we are leaving will they start seeing us as partners, instead of occupiers. A complete withdrawal gives us the leverage we now lack to get the warring factions to compromise, while our presence fuels the insurgency. The Iraqis must take responsibility for their country, and only a complete withdrawal gives them the incentive to kick out al Qaeda and heal their country. Any plan that leaves troops behind will allow the war to drag on, and will cost more American lives.
Again, while I think this is the right plan, I worry that it might be too optimistic to assume that our departure will get the Iraqi people working together. That said, I understand that you can't tell the American people that a plan won't work perfectly - we expect perfection here in the United States.

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