I am getting tired of politicians in Washington questioning the decisions of commanders in the military regarding a course of action in Iraq. These commanders, such as General Petraeus, have years of experience in the military which has afforded them the knowledge and background necessary to make the decisions on strategy and troop levels in Iraq. Here is an example of what I mean, Senator Biden said this today during the hearing:
"We need to redeploy our troops from Iraq and I am disappointed that you are calling for a halt in troop reductions, General Petraeus, because the presence of about 140,000 troops in Iraq will exacerbate the conflict, not stabilize it, and it will certainly not contribute to our overall national security. Some have suggested that we should stay in Iraq until reconciliation occurs. They have it backwards -- our departure is likely to force factions to the negotiating table in an attempt to finally create a viable power-sharing agreement."

I can’t believe what my eyes are reading. Sen. Biden thinks that if we pull our troops out of Iraq, it will force the Iraqi people to get together and work things out. He is sorely mistaken. If our troops are gone, it will cause such an up rise in violence and instability in the region that the Iraqis will not be able to get anything done. There will be turmoil in the streets rather than a "kumbuya" moment where everyone gets together and holds hands.

And he also thinks that our troops are exacerbating the conflict in the region. This man, in my opinion, is oblivious to the realities of what is going on in Iraq. The soldiers are actually keeping the peace in Iraq. They are there to provide the security necessary to allow that country to function. Sen. Biden knows that the Iraqi forces aren’t capable of securing their country and realizes that is what our soldiers are doing. So to say that they are exacerbating the conflict is just ridiculous.

I think that halting the troop withdrawal is necessary after the surge troops are re-deployed. This halt will allow the commanders in Iraq to evaluate the hot spots and the areas that need the most support. Then we can realign our units so that we have the adequate coverage in those areas. Then once we have our troops settled in, we can evaluate those decisions made and adjust troop levels based on the security related issues on the ground. That is precisely what Gen. Petreaus was trying to explain to Congress, but some members wouldn’t even give him a chance to speak.

I don’t by any means condone a military presence in Iraq forever. I think that the Iraqis do need to step up and take responsibility for their country. I believe that Iraqis should be held more accountable for security missions in their country and they should be held more accountable for the financial aspects of rebuilding their nation. I think that we should start withdrawing our financial support to Iraq before we start withdrawing our troops.

I don’t agree with Prime Minister Malikai’s decision to deploy the Basra mission when Gen. Petraeus told him not to, I believe that the P.M. should have taken the General’s advice and not gone through with the mission without better planning. But they are a free and sovereign nation and are free to make decisions for their country no matter how ill-conceived they are.

By imposing a time-table for withdrawal, I believe that it will just make the insurgents wait in hiding until we are gone. Once we leave, they will have an uprising and wreak havoc in that country. I believe that making on-the-go assessments of security levels and then making the appropriate decisions on troop levels is the correct course of action. This will allow a gradual, but constant withdrawal of our troops and not give a date for the insurgents to arise.

I don’t know if any of you agree with me or if you disagree with me, but these are my thoughts as written. I believe that this is a sensible approach to the end of the military involvement in Iraq and will avoid many of the chaotic effects of an "up-and-go" approach.