Let the Iraqi people decide

(based the report from 9/27/006 that can be found at http://www.epic-usa.org/Default.aspx?tabid=166)

After all, it is their country. In recent public opinion polls of Iraqis, 71% would like their government to ask The United States to get out. The wishes of The Iraqi people should be the only factor in deciding what to do with their country. Even more telling, 78% of the Iraqi people say we’re provoking more conflict compared to 21% who think we’re a stabilizing force. Whether they’re right or wrong doesn’t matter. We should for once respect their wishes. After all, we held elections where they picked leaders. In a democracy, leaders should represent the people. The people are telling their government to ask us to leave. Why has the Iraqi government not done this yet? Are they afraid to speak out to The United States? I suppose their is little indication our Commander In Chief will listen considering he’s sending more troops in when 12% of Americans think that’s a good idea.

We do not own Iraq and are supposed to be there as liberators, not occupiers. Sending in more troops is against Iraqi and US public opinion. The Bush Administration is now thumbing their nose at their own people, and the people whose country they’ve invaded on false pretext. When the war started, they insulted our European allies for going against the war, and now they are insulting The American public. It is clear they will do whatever they want. This is why Democrats must take the reigns of this war. The President cannot just do whatever he feels like. Right now he is acting like a child playing with plastic army men. He must view our military as a giant game set up for his personal amusement.

6 in 10 Iraqis now favor attacking American troops. In January of last year, only 47% of Iraqis supported attacking American troops. We are seen as an occupying force that needs to be eradicated. This support for the insurgency is not related to support for Al Queda, which has always been very low. Even more interestingly, the polls says if we were to commit to withdraw our troops, half of those (3 out of 10 Iraqis) would no longer support attacking Americans. So if our troops stay, 6 out of 10 Iraqis would want them dead. What do think it will do to public opinion if we send in 20,000 more troops? Chances are this will inspire more people to fight us. More troops almost certainly means more enemies, and more death to Iraqis and U.S. troops.

The citizens of America and Iraq seem to have no control. Officials for both countries are dragging on a war that no majority supports. This is a war that Americans and Iraqi’s can see is doing more bad than good. It is now up to our Congress to be the voice of reason to counteract the arrogance and belligerence of our Commander in Chief. If this war continues on the path it has, The Iraqi people will believe even more firmly that America intends to build permanent military bases in Iraq, a perception that is already held by 77% of Iraqis. The report I’m reading suggests that this perception is highly correlated with support for attacks on U.S. forces. Whether or not this is our plan, the longer we stay and the more troops we put on the ground, the more Iraqis there will be who will want to kill us and drive us out of their country. If President Bush succeeds in his plan to send in more troops, it will anger everyone.

Iraqi’s are anxious to rebuild their country and strengthen their government. This will not happen while we are still their. We are nothing more than a distraction and we are preventing the country from moving on after decades of war under a ruthless dictator. Saddam Hussein is now dead and that entire period in the history of Iraq is over. Iraqis are optimistic about the future of their government and country and will take control of their own destiny only when we remove the biggest roadblock to their peace; The American Military.