2005 Year in Review

What would victory in Iraq look like?

President Bush talks about victory in Iraq. Victory sounds good at first glance, but what would victory mean?

With approval polls way down for President Bush on his handling of Iraq, he has been recently been talking to the public through a series of speeches to explain why we should stay in Iraq despite over 2100 fatalities among US troops.

Plastered prominently behind the President is the word Victory. Since he now admits that there were no weapons of mass destruction, the original premise of the war, victory seems to mean bringing democracy to a stable Iraq.

As RJ Eskow points out Iraqi democracy is leading to an Iraq that doesn't fulfill American interests in the Mideast. He describes Iraq as:

1. A country where 82% of the population "strongly opposes" our presence and 45% support armed attacks against US troops

2. A highly conservative, religiously-based electorate that's a far cry from the neocon vision of liberal democracy

3. A country that appears to be drawing closer and closer to Israel's enemies

4. A new ally and sister country to Iran, with similar religious and political beliefs

The recent election appears to have elected even more Iraqi fundamentalist Shiite leaders of the sort that we have battled in Iran for over 25 years.

We can't afford to spend American lives and treasure on this type of victory. It is in America's interest to return the emphasis to the actual war on terror against Al Qaeda by redeploying (withdrawing) troops from Iraq.

by John Legler, Guest Columnist
December 21, 2005