Should we get out of Iraq immediately or gradually?

[Poiuyt]

I used to think that since we broke Iraq, we should stay and fix it. Now I think our mere presence there is causing the problems. Most of the people in Congress say we should either pull out gradually or stay until all the terrorists are dead. I'm worried that if we pull out gradually, it would leave the remaining troops vulnerable. How do you feel?

[afdip]

1. time to engage in occupation interruptus . . . .

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. We should beg the UN to send in peacekeepers

and turn over control of Iraq to someone who can restore law and order.

[marbuc]

3. I agree with this nt

[laureloak]

4. Ask the Iraqi's. nt

[DanCa]

5. We gotta get out of this place.

With reluctance I think it is better to have a gradual troop withdraw than an all out pull out. Bush may have broke Iraq but thanks to the scum sucker we own it.

[VOX]

6. Certify training of Iraqi troops, bring in UN forces, get the hell out.

It would take awhile, but there would be an end in sight. And it would prevent the human-rights nightmare (worse than the horrors that * has wrought, possibly) that would ensue if we ran out of there immediately.

The rest of the world thinks we're animals for going into Iraq (with good cause), but if we fly out of there without a by-your-leave, the world will think even less of the United States.

But I'm not for hanging around there long. We shouldn't have gone in the first place, but done is done. Taking out Saddam was like pulling a rotten tooth -- if there's no bridge put in to hold things up, everything goes to hell.

Prop up the infrastructure insofar as is possible, make sure that there is some UN troop coverage, and leave Iraq to the Iraqis. And do it as quickly as humanly possible! :grr:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. Staying is only to cover politician's asses. It's pointless murder.

The "war" is lost. The occupation is accomplishing nothing but fortifying the fundamentalist's claim that we are neo-colonialists seeking to impose western values on their culture.

"Staying the course", is tantamount to turning up the heat under the pot we are cooking in.

[The Jacobin]

8. Where is the choice for a turnover to the U.N.?

?

[Poiuyt]

11. I didn't include the UN because we don't control what the UN does

I wanted to include the options that the President and Congress could do on their own.

[the_spectator]

12. The UN cannot and will not take over in Iraq!

No matter how much we beg and plead! UN troops would be withdrawn from the country as soon as any of them get shot/blown up. UN peacekeepers are only available for places where there is already peace.

[NNN0LHI]

16. And most of them would be Americans wearing blue helmets anyway

I don't think the Iraqis are going to like us no matter what color our helmets are.

Don

[Tiggeroshii]

9. We started it, we need to pay some responsibility for what it attributes

to...

[necso]

10. The logistics of

moving troops and their material out of Iraq will require some time for planning and execution. We have much material and many troops in Iraq.

And while we can leave or destroy some of this material in Iraq, there is some that we must remove. Moreover, it's more difficult to carry out a withdrawal when faced by adversaries than when not, and great caution and care must be used in all aspects of such an operation.

"Losing" a "war" is one thing, losing an army (that is, destroying an army's usefulness and/or morale) is quite another.

[WFF]

13. There's probably going to be a civil war as soon as we leave anyway

whether we leave now or in 10 years. We might as well get out now and save American lives

[Just Me]

14. When it's not about "we" Americans, then we can talk.

No American company should be over there exploiting both the American taxpayer and the Iraqi citizen who should be making a living rebuilding his/her own country.

The US should NOT be the authority determining pull-out: the Iraqi people should be the authority.

Security should NOT be determined by the US. Securing Iraq should be a purely Iraq-led INTERNATIONAL AND COMMUNITY EFFORT.

That is all.

[nosmokes]

15. what makes y'all think the UN would take over?

it's not their pile of shit that's stinking up the mid-east. we need to get outta there yesterday. as long as iraq is occupied the resistance will continue.

[Douglas Carpenter]

17. some polls on Iraqi public opinion

http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m17469&date=05-nov-2005_03:0

"Some polls have asked Iraqis specifically about the presence of U.S. troops, and guess what: they want us to leave. A February poll by the U.S. military, cited by the Brookings Institution, found that 71 percent of Iraqis "oppose the presence of Coalition Forces in Iraq." This poll was taken only in urban areas, but others have found much the same sentiment. According to a January 2005 poll by Abu Dhabi TV/Zogby International, 82 percent of Sunni Arabs and 69 percent of Shiite Arabs favor the withdrawal of U.S. troops either immediately or after an elected government is in place."
and this one is a from the British Ministry of Defense
link:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/10/23/wirq23.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/10/23/ixportaltop.html
"Forty-five per cent of Iraqis believe attacks against British and American troops are justified - rising to 65 per cent in the British-controlled Maysan province;
• 82 per cent are "strongly opposed" to the presence of coalition troops;
• less than one per cent of the population believes coalition forces are responsible for any improvement in security;
• 67 per cent of Iraqis feel less secure because of the occupation;
• 43 per cent of Iraqis believe conditions for peace and stability have worsened;
• 72 per cent do not have confidence in the multi-national forces."
_______________
Here another link regarding polls of Iraq opinion:
http://www.comw.org/pda/0501br17append.html

[NNN0LHI]

18. I think the Vietnam model for disengagement would work really well here

Run like hell and hope we don't take too many casualties while loading into the the transports.

Don

[DemonFighterLives]

19. I'm no expert, but withdrawal could take place in a few weeks

If it is made known, we may receive the candies and flowers that were promised in the beginning.
Of course this is against some secret govt plan that is to stay and be a presence there as long as the oil and water last.
The whole thing is a mess made possible by the disaster pResident.

[Hippo_Tron]

20. I'm not even sure what to think anymore

On one hand I don't want to leave the place a shithole. On the other hand what we are doing there is clearly not working.

Solution: Go back to last November and elect Kerry, who would be able to get the rest of the world on board with the efforts. We'd be out in a year and the place would be in half decent shape.