Postpone the "Exit Strategy" Debate

Much ado about how the U.S. military plans to withdrawal forces from Iraq.

I'm all for it, but the Administration is in a sticky situation.

During the last campaign, President Bush skillfully -- and respectfully, I might add -- used the war issue to his advantage. He was adamant about the resolve and sacrifice that would be required of us while Iraqis navigated their way toward democracy. America honorably stood by Iraq's side.

But every bad news story out of Iraq, factual or otherwise, causes people to question the status quo. That's understandable ...most people depend on the media for current events. What's tragic, tho, is that the violent extremists are so much more effective at winning the hearts-n-minds of the MSM. Even when facts are presented, most media fail to provide the necessary perspective surrounding those facts, which is a disservice to their audiences and/or the American public.

As a result, the MSM is virtually incapable of hosting "exit strategy" debates.

A gradual withdrawal of our forces is indeed required. It has to be systematic yet flexible, and we should start "pulling chocks" and "popping smoke" as soon as a democratic Iraq can stand on its own two feet. Not a minute sooner. Not a day later.

There's faulty logic in the "cutting our losses short" option that some pundits recommend. First of all, an American rear harch in Iraq will be interpreted as a U.S. retreat by the insurgents. Chances are slim that they'd tone things down after having "defeated" the mighty zionist superpower. They're more likely to exploit their new-found freedom of movement to terrorize innocent civilians in order to gain money/weapons/power to create havoc in other parts of the world.

Second, running away from Iraq would be a terrible blow to the cause of freedom. In effect, we'd be telling oppressed peoples, "Freedom isn't for everyone after all. Sorry for the interruption." This, of course, would be great news for al-Qaeda recruiters, who hitherto were literally killing themselves to meet publicity goals. America must do its best to ensure Iraq becomes a regional example of how freedom, democracy and prosperity are inextricably linked. And then get the hell out of the way.

Bottomline is that we have a lot of work to do before we start packing our bags in Iraq. We're advising the Iraqi congress, rooting out the bad guys and fighting an uphill battle for a decent headline all at the same time.

No one knows exactly how long it will take Iraqis to fully embrace democracy, but one thing is for certain: Our resolve and involvement is essential to Iraq's success.