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This page contains a single entry by Mark Willen
published on
April 11, 2008 12:30 PM.
Both Sides Test Attacks for the Fall was the previous entry.
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How the Iraq War May Help Elect McCain
Polls show that by overwhelming margins voters want the
Listening to the testimony of Gen. David Petraeus this week, it was hard to find cause for optimism. "We haven't turned any corner," he said. "We haven't seen any lights at the end of the tunnel."
Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama wanted to know where we are headed, pressing Petraeus to describe what conditions will allow the
McCain was more focused on the effects of defeat, concerned that a departure anytime soon will reverse the gains he believes have been made as a result of the surge and concerned about the chaos and shame that a defeat will bring for the
Still, that's an appealing approach, one that can work for McCain politically no matter what the polls say because it taps into the hope that all Americans want to feel, even when their judgment suggests it may be an unreal hope. And while polls show most Americans think that the war was a mistake, they also show that a majority now believe the war is going better than before the surge. If voters continue to believe that, McCain's optimism and determination -- which strike a chord with Americans, who hate giving up hope and accepting failure -- could prove a big advantage.
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I would hope that Americans have more sense than to believe that we should stay in Iraq until we are victorious. That kind of conviction is not based in reality and is dangerous. We will never be victorious in Iraq just as we were not victorious in Vietnam. The majority of Iraqis do not like us because they believe we are only there for their oil and because of our unwavering and unreasonable support of Israel. I truly hope that Americans face reality and do not prescribe to McCain's optimism about Iraq. It's very selfish to say we should stay until we are victorious. We need to consider the hopes and desires of the Iraqi people first. The only solution is a gradual withdrawal and nothing more.
McCain needs to address what happens when we leave in defeat. He needs to use specific and graphic terms. Terms like genocide, ethnic cleansing, killing fields, etc. The oppressed world will never again trust our intentions and work with us to establish democratic rule anywhere. The political winds change, we leave and they all die.
He needs to warn of imminent strikes against Israel by an emboldened enemy. When the strikes against Israel happen, there will be a regional war involving at least Israel, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq. Does anyone seriously think we'll sit that one out?
We can either stay in Iraq as a stabilizing force or depart only to return to a wider regional war. At this point it does not matter that we should never have gone in. We have to do the right thing now.