U.S. leaders should reconsider pullout

By: Collegian Editorial Board

Posted: 8/26/08

There's an old Ben Franklin saying about hospitality that goes, "houseguests, like fish, smell after three days." The same could be said about protective U.S. military forces, except in their case, it takes years.

On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki made a statement insisting that all foreign troops be removed from the country by a yet-to-be-determined date in 2011, according to the Associated Press, and has told reporters the Bush administration has already jumped on board.

A spokesman for Bush, however, has challenged this statement and reiterated the official policy of a "general timeline" with no set date of withdrawal as outlined in a statement from the president at the end of July, adding that the level of U.S. forces would remain dependent upon conditions within the war-torn Middle Eastern nation.

While it is perfectly understandable that the Bush administration doesn't want to appear to accept a "cut-and-run" Iraq policy, the statement issued by al-Maliki is a good indication that it may be time to reevaluate their stance.

One of the major goals of our mission in Iraq has been the establishment of an independent, democratic government. Should we refuse to accept the timeline requested by their democratically elected leader, we will not only be undercutting the autonomy of the Iraqi people, we will be undermining one of our major pretenses for being in the country in the first place. If they no longer want our help, perhaps it is time for our leaders, both Republican and Democrat alike, to consider that our help is no longer needed.

After all, who better understands the needs of the Iraqi people than the Iraqi people themselves?