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"Stop disagreeing with President Bush" is what these people are really saying. They object to a timetable only because it recognizes a dangerous truth. There's no real reason to be in Iraq, except to avoid the embarrassment of admitting it was all a huge mistake.

None of this political hot air against "timetables" is really about anyone's security. It's not about the security of the people of Iraq, and it's completely irrelevant to the security of the people of America. It's certainly not about protecting the safety of America's soldiers. The truth is it's only about the political security of George Bush and his Republican friends. They all know we'll be leaving Iraq, but they won't announce a timetable because they're afraid it'll make them look bad.

The Iraq war is now the most important issue with American voters. So President Bush (and Republicans who supported him) need to pretend the Iraq war WASN'T a mistake. "In fact," they'll lie, "the Iraq war is going GREAT, and anyone disagreeing with us must just be stupid and dangerous." But when politicians speak less than the truth, Americans should challenge them.

In reality, America is CAUSING a lot of the violence in Iraq. Iraqis remember what U.S. troops did at Abu Ghraib, and how contractors gun down unarmed Iraqi civilians. Announcing that the U.S. is, yes, really leaving, and on an honest timetable, would eliminate those attacks that are aimed at discouraging American involvement.

Everyone knows this, but Republicans love to argue that they're "strong" where Democrats are "weak." So for purely political reasons, they've invented the need for MORE troops. Even after Bush's own study group recommended a troop reduction, Bush imagined a fantasy world instead where more troops could somehow magically create a safe period in which Iraq's new government could take hold.

But that hasn't happened, and even the most optimistic Iraq observers now concede that the best hope lies in dividing Iraq into smaller countries rather than try to foist a peaceful co-existence onto bitter ethnic rivals. So why are we throwing more soldiers into the desert? So President Bush can save face.

In fact, in this "fight against terrorism," President Bush has already ended more American lives than Osama bin Laden. If we want to save American lives, it's time to start the fight against Bush. John Kerry said it best. "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" But the solution isn't asking more men to die after him.

This isn't even a strategic problem, it's a political problem. A timetable can't be announced because it damages Bush's political party - so they hurl fierce accusations at anyone suggesting it. But for President Bush's supporters to shout down disagreements in this way is to try to kill democracy itself. It's important to stand up to those unpatriotic Republican fools, and insist that troops SHOULD BE withdrawn from Iraq on a timetable.

It's what's best for the soldiers, for Iraq, and ultimately - for America.

Learn more about this author, Moe Zilla.
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