What Will Our Friends Think?

One lesson I was taught as a child was to keep my promises. “Your word is your bond,” my parents taught me. “If you promise that you’re going to do something, make sure you do it.”

Let’s apply that lesson to the situation in Iraq.

Conservative talk radio has argued that if we pull out of Iraq without achieving a full victory, we are telling our enemies that the United States does not have the will to withstand a prolonged fight. The argument can be summarized with one question: “What kind of message would we send to our enemies by pulling out?”

That’s a valid point, but I think there’s a much more important question:

“What kind of message would we send to our friends if we pull out?”

A lot of Iraqis have risked their lives helping us establish a democratic government in their country. If we pull out before stabilizing Iraq, our enemies will take over and these people will die.

We pulled out of South Vietnam and millions of our allies were killed. If we similarly pull out of Iraq, not only will the Iraqis who supported us be massacred, but who will support us in the future knowing that the United States does not keep its promises?

Therein lies the true risk of pulling out of Iraq without finishing the job.

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Link to the original post:
http://thephantomrepublican.blogspot.com/2007/06/what-will-our-friends-think.html