I think my thoughts on Iraq can be summed up pretty simply by The Clash:
Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double
Jay Bookman offers a more thoughtful take in this column in Atlanta Journal-Constitution. His take — that we accomplish the same thing whether we stay or go — is on the money. But he leaves his own question — stay or go? — answered only by implication and even that is unclear:
By staying, the most we can probably accomplish is to ease Iraq toward that final outcome with somewhat less bloodshed and chaos than would result if we began to withdraw soon. And given growing viciousness in Iraq, even that small hope may prove far-fetched.
Staying delays the inevitable and lessen the bloodshed some, he says. In the end, however, staying or going results in loss of American prestige, loss of lives and a boost to Iran’s fortunes in the region.
I think Mr. Bookman asks the wrong question, though he does imply the right one. The question isn’t “should we leave?” It is “when should we leave?”
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Hank Kalet 