Obama on Iraq

In this NYT op Ed , Senator Barack Obama, the democratic nominee for POTUS reiterated in unequivocal terms, his plans for Iraq. While it has been common refrain of the self-styled MSM lassies to make bogus and unfounded claims of flips, the senator has always remain steadfast in his views that the war in Iraq is a misadventure, but has always expressed the need for caution as we move forward.

While a withdrawal timetable in Iraq is a rational thing to do, afterall we are all made to believe that Iraq is a sovereign nation and occupying a sovereign nation is againts international norms. Plus Iraq never attacked us un unprovoked. They had no hands in 9/11. Yet many will dare equate this country to Japan or Germany. Japan attacked us at Pearle Harbour and Germany many attackes during second world war are well chronicled.

Since the begining of the Iraq misadventure, more than 4000 US soldiers (in uniform) have lost their lives, as have many more American civilians and contractors. More than 30,000 US soldiers have been critically injured and the Iraq casualty is still a subject of debate.

While the many initiatives launched since 2006, including efforts to bring in Sunnis into Iraqi political mainstream as well as the inherent purge in many Baghdadi neighbourhoods have led to a restoration of stability in Iraq, the continued stay of American soldiers on an open-ended commitment will by no means help stabilize the nation. We left Vietnam more than 30 years ago, and that country now counts as a success story in the commity of nations. Our presence in Japan and Germany, started out as conquorors and although have tappered off over the years as the two nations remain enmansculated and without an aggressive millitary, those presence are begining to have no value.

Afghanistan on the other hand needs to be stabilized and we need to do more in Pakistan to assure not just the stability of that country but also safeguard, and ultmately neutralize its Nuclear arsenal, as we should all Nuclear arsenals.

Iran posses dangers, but so does so many other nations including China and Russia, but if we tone down our rhetorics and replace our belicose attitude with a more accomodating positions that replaces our "lone super power" aura with one that shows nations like Iran they are also respcted (even without a Nuclear bomb), we may well restore our moral leadership and get the rest of the world, including Iran , to see the reason in our belief that no one needs to own weapons that could anihilate our world.

Senator Obama's reasoned position is a helpful step in the right direction and the fact that he has a retinue of experts (more than 300 according to some recent reports) at his dispossal is quit helpful. Some have tried to spin this fact in less favourable terms, but they seem to be more interested in belittling the man who has demostrated the most capacity to provide seasoned leadership for the nation, and indeed the world since the begining of our Union. No other political leader in this country's history has been called upon so frequently to provide visionary leadership while still on the trail, as Obama has been expected to do over and again on issues fron race relations to foreign policy to the issue of women and even religion.

As his recent Op Ed shows, he is indeed ready to lead us into a better day.