WAR IN IRAQ: Time to begin marching out

[AllegroRondo]

IF THE WAR in Iraq would capture Osama bin Laden and dismantle al-Qaida, it would be worth the sacrifice. But the war is inspiring new al-Qaida recruits and training them for action, and Osama is nowhere to be found.

If the war were helping persuade the people of the Middle East to choose freedom and modernity over medieval values, religious fanaticism and terror, it would be worth the sacrifice. But the war has alienated Muslims who see the war as an infidel invasion of their heartland.

If President George W. Bush's idealistic vision of a democratic Middle East were attainable by invading a sovereign nation, it would be worth the sacrifice. But almost everyone, except for the president, has given up on that fantasy.

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More here: http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/editorialcommentary/story/583A6B704B20BD33862570BE003811EF?OpenDocument

[afdip]

1. a well-reasoned article, although i'd like to see the troops home

more quickly than by the end of '06.