Finish the Job in Iraq

Before I get back to writing about energy, I wanted to highlight a commercial I saw on TV last night. A political advocacy organization called Vets for Freedom is sponsoring an add campaign encouraging our leaders to finish the job in Iraq. The ads feature soldiers and their families advocating that we stay the course.

On a related note, an article in today’s New York Times quoted an Iraqi:

“In no way do I favor the occupation of my country,” said Abu Ibrahim, a Western-educated businessman in Baghdad, “but there is a moral obligation on the Americans at this point.”

I was a supporter of the war before it began. In hindsight, it may not have been the best move strategically or politically for the United States. The stabilization and transition phase of the war has been much more costly in blood and treasure (for both Iraq and the U.S.) than I had ever expected.

That being said, I have always believed that we have a moral obligation to the people of Iraq. We can argue about faulty intelligence, weapons of mass destruction, a rush to war and other past decisions until we are blue in the face. None of that really matters now. What does matter is that the United States disrupted the lives of the Iraqi people, and we should do everything we can to restore peace and stability to their country.

John McCain has consistently expressed his desire to finish the job in Iraq. In the primary, Barack Obama campaigned on a platform of setting a rapid timetable for withdrawal. Since securing the nomination Mr. Obama has moderated his position (much to the dismay of the far left). He told the Military Times, “[We] want to bring a gradual withdrawal of our combat forces, [we will] maintain a counterterrorism force in the region that could continue to keep al-Qaida on the run.”

I know McCain will finish the job. I’m not sure what Barack Obama will do.