Monday, August 27, 2007

Years, not Months

Rep. Jan Schakowsky was shocked when she heard Gen. David Petraeus give his timeline for U.S. involvement in Iraq as another decade.

"I come from an environment where people talk nine to 10 months," she said, referring to the time frame for withdrawal that many Democrats are advocating. "And there he was, talking nine to 10 years."


That is a bit of an eyeopener and given the dearth of political progress on the ground there, sounds more realistic than mere months.

But the problem with the debate over continued U.S. troop involvement in Iraq is that it is too narrow. What happens to broader U.S. interests and Middle East stability if we leave? If we stay? What's the effect on the War on Terror is we pull out in 10 months or stay 10 years? Are any of our political "leaders" engaging voters on these broader issues so we can make rational choices?

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