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The Iraq project is no longer a war but a huge attempt to build a country that resembles the United States in government, commerce and society. Well, that's how it started out. Now it's a huge attempt to build a country that isn't self-destructing. Hardly anyone claims that this is a battle to contain terrorists, other than the terrorists who have developed within Iraq or moved over from other countries.

The thinking is quite circular. It goes like this: Terrorists attacked the US on 9/11. Saddam Hussein liked terrorists. He had WMD. We toppled that government, did not find WMD, and brought together the present government. Now Iraq is crawling with terrorists, so we have to fight them. I suppose it can be argued that we lured all those terrorists into Iraq so we can kill them, but I don't buy it.

Meanwhile, the source of 9/11 is still free, that guy with the beard. The Taliban is operating again in Afghanistan and holds up in Pakistan. The drug trade has come back to Afghanistan. Because we've been so concerned with the fate of Iraq, we have lost our focus on the cause of 9/11, and conditions are rapidly returning to the pre-9/11 era in Afghanistan. But at least we've tightened up airport security in this country, and I don't fly any longer, so some things have actually worked for fighting terrorism.

It's unfortunate that we rushed into Iraq, but we did. Just what the solution to that mess is, I don't know other than redeploying back home or to Afghanistan. Our mission in Iraq is over. We toppled the old regime and brought in the new. That Iraq wants to kill itself is a problem, and our presence there is not helping. So, admit the mistake and move on with what really threatens our country. Let the Iraqis and the surrounding countries figure out their own affairs.

Learn more about this author, Austin Vail.
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