by Jerry DePyper

Created on: March 23, 2007   Last Updated: May 13, 2007

I'm coming to your house sometime and, whether you want me to or not, i'm going to start a complete remodelling project. I mean the whole nine yards: I'll tear out the plumbing, the wiring, windows, carpet, down to bare studs and boarded up windows. Then i'll start the arduous work of rebuilding it, replacing the old with the new - new windows, new plumbing fixtures, new everything.

Several months into this project, just about when you are getting over your shock and outrage at my unspeakable hubris, and are starting to admit that the end result may be pretty good after all, i'll hit a snag of some kind. I'll realize that it's going to be more difficult than i thought. So, one day, i'll come up to you, apologize for making such a mess, and drive away. You'll have a partially remodelled home, but still mostly unlivable and under construction.

Was it right for me to take on this unwarranted project? No. Is it therefore right for me to quit before the job is done? No again.

If anything, the analogy is too mild. In the above story, you could engage another contractor to finish the job i started. Worst case, you could sell your house at a loss and buy another. The Iraqis can't do either, can they? The U.S. has literally turned their world upside-down. They can't just go live someplace else, or find someone else to help. If the U.S. doesn't finish the job, no one will.

So i find myself at odds with the majority of Americans on both counts: When popular opinion was in favor of invading Iraq, i thought it a bad idea. Now that we are there, i believe it would be just as bad to pull out before the situation is stable enough for the Iraqis themselves to handle.

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