Even though successful elections were held in Iraq on Jan. 30, it doesn’t mean that the United State is pulling out anytime soon. With the continued onslaught of violence by insurgents on a daily-basis as well as the continued efforts to get the newly liberated Iraq up and running, it seems that the U.S. isn’t going anywhere for a long time.
This is very evident in the fact that U.S. still has a lot of work to finish if they hope to withdraw their forces anytime in the near future. So even though these democratic elections can be taken as the United State’s first steps towards leaving Iraq, there is still a lot left to 0accomplish.
Since the war in Iraq began in April of 2003, more than 1,400 Americans have been killed and the U.S. continues to spend more than $1 billion a week on the war in Iraq.
Also according to some, the Bush administration has never given a clear plan for leaving Iraq.
According to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, “We have never heard a clear plan from this administration for ending our presence in Iraq.”
“We all know that the United States cannot stay in Iraq indefinitely and continue to be viewed as an occupying force,” she said in an AP article that was released shortly after President Bush’s speech Wednesday night. “Neither should we slip out the back door, falsely declaring victory but leaving chaos.”
Other examples of how the troops stationed in Iraq are going to continue their presence in the region can be found in President Bush’s State of the Union Address that he gave on Feb. 2.
Behind a backdrop of the American flag, Bush told those in the Capital building that he wants to, “defeat the dangers of our time,” which include tyranny and terror.
He said that he also wants to end, “tyranny in our world.”
To make matters worse, he mentioned other countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and North Korea.
At one point in his speech, he specifically focused on Iran. He said to the citizens of that country that wished for their own freedom, “as you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you.”
The Commander-in-Chief has also said that he would withdraw American troops in the newly elected Iraqi leaders requested it.
According to an AFP article published on Jan. 28, the president said that U.S. troops will pull out of Iraq if the new leaders elected on Jan. 30 requested it.
He also said, “But it seems like most of the leadership there understands that there will be a need for coalition troops at least until Iraqis are able to fight.”
Bush also said in his State of the Address speech that an Iraqi translator was quoted as saying, “tell America not to abandon us.”
Therefore, we can see that the American troops that have been stationed in the Middle East aren’t coming home to America anytime soon. We can only hope that progress is made and the new country of Iraq is established so our boys in blue can finally come back to where they really belong.
Posted to the web by Shane Evans
