Bring 'Em Home Now

It's a sad day for the US and for the world.

Today General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker testified before Congress about the progress in Iraq. And now it's official: there has been no progress in Iraq. We've used up our last Friedman Unit and it is over.

Gen. Petraeus used suspect data about the violence in Iraq in order to justify further military intervention. Ambassador Crocker admitted that the diplomatic efforts were not tried and Iraqi political avenues were not traveled. Atrocious.

Mr. Bush had nine months of a military surge to get this right and it looks like they didn't even try. The patience of the American people is spent and the war is over. Aside from a few phone calls, how much pressure was put on the Iraqis by our Commander-in-Chief?

It's over and the soldiers need to be redeployed now. As outlined last winter on this blog. I was in favor of a surge in January. I thought a larger surge with a complete national mobilization here in the US and in Iraq was in order. Nothing short would have sufficed. The administration had nine months to get this right, and unfortunately they did not.

Bring these men and women home now where they belong, and fight this war on terror the way it should have been fought in 2001.

1. Reduce funding regimes with oil money by achieving oil independence.

2. Pressure Arab allies to respect human rights, build schools not medrassas.

3. Work on a peaceful US foreign policy that promotes the health and safety of everyone.

4. Strengthen our diplomatic ties with our allies.

5. Prepare for a southern Asia with a stronger Iranian influence, thanks to George W. Bush.

Our current policies and incursions have been mismanaged from the first summer of this administration's tenure and it will take a generation to correct the bad policies and poor execution that the world has endured. Nothing has been done well in Iraq and now the time is up. Millions more will die, oil prices will rise and the world will be less stable, thanks to George W. Bush. And thanks to the civically illiterate voters who elected him.

Atrocious.