crankypot.com

The U.S. invasion in Iraq will certainly be remembered as one of the greatest catastrophes in the history of the twentieth century. Most tragically, it has resulted in needless loss of human life, destruction of an entire society, and it has exposed the purely imperialistic aims of the neo-conservatives. The ordeal that the Iraqis and our soldiers have had to go through has shown the futility of the whole intervention.
It is time for the Democrats to face up to reality: admit that there is no graceful exit, and pull our troops out immediately. Our departure from Iraq—which should happen tomorrow—will necessarily be paved by more lives needlessly lost in what has become a bloody civil war. But it is also time for the Democrats to do what Bush and the Republicans never will: admit that this was our fault. It is time to stop pointing our big stick towards the Iraqis themselves, threatening pull out if “they don’t sort things out between themselves.” It is us who destroyed their government, demolishing the very texture of their society. We need to pull out because this is a colonial project and with every day of our continuing presence, Iraqis, along with us, are plunged even further into a seemingly never-ending cycle. But we cannot blame the Iraqis for the consequences. This is not only disingenuous, but reprehensibly immoral.