I believed that in
the aftermath of 911, and with the
intelligence we and the entire world had
at the time, we could not risk our
nation’s security with the possibility
of Saddam Hussein amassing weapons of
mass destruction to use against his
neighbors or us. Let alone provide those
weapons to terrorist groups. Of course,
hindsight is 20/20, and in the aftermath
of the invasion and occupation, WMD’s
were not found.
The fact is we are
now in Iraq. We should not set a
deadline for a premature withdrawal, it
would only encourage the terrorists to
wait us out, giving them time to regroup
and rearm. It would be a disaster for
that volatile region of the world if we
left Iraq without stabilizing that
country. It would show that the United
States could not be counted on to keep
its commitments, which would send a
dangerous message to our enemies. It
would also mean that our brave men and
women, who gave the ultimate sacrifice,
would have done so in vain. I believe we
owe them more than that. We would also
be leaving that country in the hands of
Iran, Syria and Al Qaeda. Millions of
Iraqi’s risked their lives in three,
separate, elections for the chance to
live in freedom.
