Just a few thoughts...

Although the majority of the American public wants us to withdraw from Iraq, it appears that many of them still think that the only reason why would be to protect our troops. But there's more to it. How many years does it take before it becomes clear to everyone that our military presence precludes any stability from coming about. The British learned this lesson after centuries of bloodshed in the countries they occupied, yet year after year of resistance in Iraq still hasn't made it clear to some that they Iraqis will not view themselves as a sovereign nation until we leave. There is a deep history of mistrust in the Middle East towards America and this is NOT without cause. That's why it's so maddening to me to hear Hillary Clinton say that she could see an American presence in Iraq for another several decades. Look Mrs. Clinton, it's not up to you to decide whether we should stay or not. It's up to the Iraqis. Numerous polls have shown that over 80% of Iraqis want us to leave. Tim Russert said that even the Iraqi parliament wants us to leave. Why not respect their wishes. It's only when we realize that we cannot proceed with unilateral decision making based solely on our self-interests (whether it be Iraq, Iran or Israel/Palestine) that the people in the region may start to view us differently.

It's time to bring the troops home.