Regarding Iraq: $10 Billion per Month - A War We Must End

In the past, we've discussed the war in Iraq as problematic -- quite simply a mess; the myriad of changing reasons President Bush has given for the war; the fact that there are more private contractors than soldiers there and that government oversight of these contractors has been so slipshod that billions of dollars have been squandered; our government's failure to take care of our veterans as they come home; and the challenges of solving domestic problems at home when the war is, if nothing else, a money pit ... continually sucking money from our domestic economy, and worse yet, continuing to deplete international respect for the U.S. abroad. Worse yet, the $10 Billion a month the war is costing hasn't even given us the benefit of our capturing Osama Bin Laden.

Although John McCain has repeatedly talked about the possibility of the U.S. staying in Iraq for 100 years, most Americans ... as many as 70% according to some polls ... continue to call for the war to end. The cost of this war, and also the more necessary war in Afghanistan, has strained our military while it also has placed an extra burden on rural communities who find their National Guard soldiers required to return to the war zones over and over again ... while these same soldiers are also very necessary at home since they often serve as policemen and firemen for their home towns.

Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress continue their struggle to end the war. Clearly, they do not have enough votes to override President Bush's certain veto. And clearly, until November when there is the possibility of more anti-war Members of Congress joining the Democratic struggle, we can expect this war without end to continue.

Our next president will face the task. In today's (2/26/08) Washington Post, John Podesta, Ray Takeyh and Lawrence J. Korb write, "A War We Must End." Podesta is president of the Center for American Progress and Korb is a senior fellow at the Center. Takeyh is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Although the whole op-ed is must reading, we emphasize the following, "The strategic necessities of ending the war have never been more compelling. In today's Middle East, America is neither liked nor respected. Iran flaunts its nuclear ambitions, confident that a bogged-down Washington has limited options but to concede to its mounting infractions. Afghanistan is rapidly descending into a Taliban-dominated state as the Bush administration responds only with plaintive complaints about NATO's lack of resolution. And the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is nowhere near resolution. America's occupation of Iraq is estranging an entire generation of Arab youths, creating a reservoir of antagonism that will take decades to overcome. A Democratic president who may enjoy a modest honeymoon in the Middle East simply by virtue of not being George W. Bush can take a giant step toward reclaiming America's practical interests and moral standing by leaving Iraq."

Do take time to read the complete column: "A War We Must End."