Should We Leave Iraq Now?

[DeltAlum]

Well, you know what opinions are like...and I have mine, too.

Both conflicts began for somewhat questionable reasons in retrospect. (WMD and Gulf of Tonkin)

The Domino Theory was that if we "lost" South Vietnam, all of SE Asia would fall and we would be fighting on the streets of NYC. Didn't happen.

Besides, the latest tape from Bin Laden says he's planning more attacks inside the US. Great. We get to fight them both places.

The administration then said that "Vietnamization" would allow the South Vietnamese take over their own defense and strengthen their "elected" government. It didn't.

We thought the Viets and Iraqis would "welcome" us with open arms. Some did. As the conflict went on, fewer did.

We, at least to some extent, got into both conflicts by toppling sitting dictators.

We then threw support behind a national government that couldn't control much outside of its capital city. There were attacks and bombings even inside the capital.

Both conflicts turned into a battle of attrition in which the finest military in the world (ours) found itself fighting an enemy that was/is hard to find and harder to defeat.

The American public didn't get straight answers from our government. That's been proven in the case of Viet Nam. It is my belief now.

It seems to me that we're marching down very similar paths -- and making many of the same wrong turns.

But again, that's just my opinion.