Today's Dayton Daily DemocratTM
From The Opinion Page of the Dayton Daily NewsThe political arguers have taken to arguing about whether Iraq is another Vietnam. The issue gives some people a chance to show off their historical erudition. They talk about French colonialism. Others feel that it is sufficient to point out that American lossave we made the mistake of getting into a war that has many aspects of a civil war without any good way of getting out of it?
Matt's Chat:
No, we have not made the mistake of entering Iraq or Afghanistan without a good way of getting out. We're there working on what the President calls a "forward strategy of freedom" in the Middle East.Iraq is literally the heart of the Middle East. Democracy has a better chance of spreading in the Middle East if it catches in Iraq. We are already seeing some success. There are uprisings in Iran and Syria and Libya has turned over a new leaf due, in no small part, because of our actions in Iraq.
So, I would disagree with the premise of the question. We have a perfectly good way "out" of Iraq: democracy.
The only answer at this stage is that it's a perfectly good question.
Matt's Chat:
Only if you're a leftist that doesn't get the brilliance of this strategy.The Bush administration wants to leave peace and democracy behind, lest it be accused of having done no good for Iraq or accomplished any useful end for the world or this country. Will it be able to do this? Maybe. After a year of effort, things are not where anybody wanted them to be. But maybe transferring formal power to the Iraqis will do some good.
Matt's Chat:
Well, again, I dispute the nature of this assumption as well. Leftists have some sort of racist bias against the Middle East in that they think that democracy and freedom won't work there for whatever reason. It will. Rome wasn't built in a day. Neither was Japan. After WWII, many thought democracy wouldn't work there either, but it did.I caution against turning things over too soon, though. Remember, liberals pressed for a firm date for transferring power. Conservatives were the ones saying that rather than a date, what was needed was a set of conditions that needed to be met in order for transfer to take place. Liberals won that one. A date was set. Now who's complaining? Liberals. And who do they blame? Not themselves. Turning power over to Iraqis that aren't ready will not improve the situation. Contrary to what John Kerry and these leftists think, stability is not the key factor in transferring authority. The key factor is transferring authority to a legitamate government dedicated to freedom and democracy. With that, the stability will come.
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry hopes to substitute foreign troops for American troops, at least to some degree. That would be one heck of an accomplishment. You probably shouldn't bet on it happening.
What's the alternative to the Bush and Kerry plans to trudge ahead?
Tennessee U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., one of the few Republicans who opposed the war in the first place, says, "I think we should announce to the world that no country has come close to doing as much for Iraq as we have, but there are a significant number of people who don't appreciate what we have done. I think we should get on out. We should celebrate victory, and we should leave."
Matt's Chat:
Pulling out is not the answer. No matter how many leftists or RINOs preach it. If we leave without accomplishing the goal, the situation in the Middle East will get worse. The President is correct in asserting that we must stay the course in Iraq. Would more help from other nations help? Sure, I wouldn't turn it down. Is it required? Nope.Talk about Vietnam. The late Sen. George Aiken of Vermont made his name in history by suggesting the "declare-victory-and-withdraw" approach there. But nobody would have been fooled back then either.
All that said, at least one major force is at work to prevent Iraq from becoming a Vietnam: Vietnam. This nation knows, as it simply did not before Vietnam, that it does not have the political or military power to solve all problems. It knows that sending more troops isn't necessarily a magic answer. It knows that another country's nationalism can be an awfully mighty force. It knows that the American people are only willing to put up with losses abroad for so long without demanding progress.
Matt's Chat:
This whole paragraph was an "America is evil" kind of thing and that we're too powerful. Yada, yada, yada. Nationalism isn't what is motivating the terrorists in Iraq and if the leftists will open their eyes, they would see that plain as day.Some people take offense at the very comparison of Vietnam and Iraq. But you can bet that the nation's leaders are intensely focused on the comparison themselves. They know what to worry about.
