The End of Military Involvement in Iraq

I recently watched the video of President Obama announcing the end of most of the United States military involvement in Iraq (dated August 31, 2010). I think this event merits a post on our blog if for nothing else the significant moment in history that it is.

My feelings regarding this event are mixed. My feelings regarding almost anything political is mixed. In this area of life more than any other I remember the story of the 4 blind men that feel a different part of an elephant and all conclude something completely different about the physical properties of the animal.

I feel almost always when I consider candidates and issues of significance to the citizens of the city, state, nation, or planet in which I reside that I only have a few of the facts, too few in fact to form a solid opinion. I am content to learn enough to form an opinion and thus vote accordingly, but I am rarely staunchly entrenched in a certain mindset.

Anyways, regarding this event I do believe I agree that it was time to leave. I am still skeptical that this war was just at all; I doubt that it was ever right for United States to enter Iraq; however, I have heard encouraging stories of good healthy programs (e.g. schools, libraries, other social programs) established by Iraqis that were made possible by American involvement. I am still of the opinion that these same advancements could have been achieved through peaceful means.

I think China is a good example of peaceful influence shaping political thought. For example, couples are no longer limited to only one child, religious gatherings are permitted (albeit with strict stipulations) and domestic violence is being more and more publicly denounced (as opposed to be dismissed as the prerogative of the man in the home).

However, I was encouraged by an interview of George W. Bush recently in which he was asked the question had he known that there would be no weapons of mass destruction found would he have ordered the invasion of Iraq. I liked his response. He said that he can't say because he didn't have that luxury when it came time to make that decision.

So back to the topic of the end of most combat missions there in Iraq, I like what Ron Paul had to say about it. He stated that withdrawing would bring negative consequences for Iraqi people and in some ways for American people but these consequences would be experienced no matter when the withdrawal happened. I still support Ron Paul, he made the most sense of any other presidential candidate in the 2008 election (keeping in mind my earlier reference to the blind men and the elephant).

It seems that now is the time for American troops to leave, due to the international recession and many other problems that require full attention from our people and government if we are to recover from these problems. My heart goes out to these many soldiers who are now grappling with the reality of such struggles as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Acquired Brain Injury, and others. Also many of them are national guardsmen or reserve soldiers and are now trying to reintegrate into their communities and finding it difficult to transfer their skills learned in combat to civilian employment.

Ok, enough rambling for one day. Suffice it to say I am grateful to live in this world, grateful for my country, and grateful for our Canadian neighbors. I like Canada!