i'm with you to a point, homie. i don't think we should have invaded iraq the way we did. that said, that saddam and sons are gone is a HUGE positive to that action.
as for the being welcomed with open arms stuff -- how do you know that we're NOT being welcomed, if a bit warily, eventually quite enthusiastically? you don't see much about that in the news (anywhere, not just CNN) -- but it's happening. those who are fighting our troops are but a SMALL percentage of more extremist elements; the majority of iraqis are not picking up arms and shouting for american deaths.
THAT said, we're there now. we're in it to win it, and for 3 reasons i think we need to stay put.
1. it's a matter of honor/restoring our "dignity" in the world. "you break it, you buy it" as the store sign says. well, we broke their country, and now it's on us to stick around long enough at least to patch it up and leave it in better condition than we found it.
2. for our protection. to do away with hussein is not enough after all the damage that's been done by the fighting. if we don't want hussein II to pop up, we need to stick around long enough to see that the country has a REALISTIC chance of making it on their own -- sans a NEW dictator.
3. for the iraqi people. the US shouldn't go in, give the old govt. the heave-ho, bust it up with bombs and then say "ciao!" we need to stay and build up the infrastructure that was destroyed AND we need to build that infrastructure in such a way that it belongs to the PEOPLE of iraq -- not set it up for some new dictator to run. the US presence will not always be primarily a military ("occupation") presence. americans are interacting with iraqi citizens as human beings, not just as troops. buying and selling (on a small scale) is happening. people are talking, learning each others' language -- cultures are being shared.
again, we do NOT hear or see the stories about POSITIVE american-iraqi interactions. a lot of good will and "winning the hearts and minds" is going on, and quite a bit of it comes from the GENUINE kindness of american military HUMAN BEINGS. i'm not talking about a hershey bar tossed from a jeep either. i'm talking about soldiers who see poor kids and make arrangements for them to have food and clothing, who write home and say "send help! let's build them houses, let's build up a school." etc.
there are seeds that have been planted that have not yet had the TIME to grow, those that are growing that haven't had the time to come to fruition. while i don't want this WAR to drag on, i want our men and women to have the chance -- the fair and adequate chance -- to complete the mission (the full mission) that they have in many ways only just begun. and i want them, each one, to have the love and support of the folks here at home.
