Thank you for your note. I appreciate your concerns that U.S. energy policy shaped the decision to go to war. And today Iraq's great resources are surely a factor in deciding the outcome. One idea that might get lost in the debate, however, is the obligation we have to the Iraqi people to prevent wider chaos and more suffering. Being right about the faulty decision to enter Iraq doesn't mean the American Left can be wrong about what should be done now. Along with claiming to be in the right, the left should take a very hard look at the consequences of early withdrawal. And frankly, anger at the misleading steps of the soon-to-be past administration should not cloud the judgment. Following through on the project of building a democracy in Iraq is perhaps the best possible outcome we could hope for. If we do that, the Iraqis can always come back later and vote down the oil contracts that were concluded now, between unequal partners.
Thank you for your interest,
Andrew
Apparently Mr. Kramer still thinks there’s a pony under all that manure we’ve been shoveling in Iraq. Maybe he’s worried if American troops leave Iraq the country will dissolve into sectarian violence, Sunni against Shia, blowing each other up.
Oh, wait.
Never mind.
Look, I used to buy into that whole “Pottery Barn” nonsense, that we had an “obligation” to fix the mess we created. But then I realized: we are the problem! We are the shard inside a festering wound, and the only way for healing to begin is to remove the foreign object.
There is no “building democracy” with a gun pointed in your face, Mr. Kramer. There will be no peace as long as we are occupying that country. The Iraqi government will always be viewed as illegitimate, and our motives will always be questioned. America needs to step away from Iraq now, because no good has or will come from our presence there. I don’t care how many schools we paint, it doesn’t make up for the nearly 100,000 civilians killed since the invasion.
No, Mr. Kramer; you and the rest of the media elites peddling this false “we have an obligation to bring democracy” line are dead wrong. Future generations of Americans will be paying for this $3 trillion war. And what do we have to show for it? Nothing--except maybe some oil contracts for ExxonMobil. I’m sure the Chinese will enjoy using up all that oil Exxon is planning to sell them.
Bring the U.S. troops home now.
