Hey, Republicans: Are you willing to sacrifice conservative judges, tax cuts, and every other conservative cause for the president's big-government, nation-building, utopian dream of democratizing Iraq through occupation? A CNN/Opinion Research poll finds just 30 percent of Americans supporting the war in Iraq. This is the biggest issue facing America today, and Republicans are on the wrong side of it. They were on the wrong side of it when two-thirds of the country supported them, and they're on the wrong side of it now that two-thirds of the country is against them.

If you try to conduct a war by consulting poll numbers you are going to lose (see Viet Nam). Maybe we shouldn't have gone into Iraq but leaving now will be a total disaster. We're probably going to have to fight Iran eventually, so why not have a base in Iraq? If we come home now, they (Islamic Radicals) win. We can't let that happen. They hated us before we went into Iraq and they're not going to stop if or when we leave.
911 changed everything. Radical Islam must be defeated just like Fascism had to be defeated in WW II. I don't like war but there are some things that are worth fighting for. You can't negotiate with fanatics, you can only kill them before they kill you.

We still have troops in Germany, Japan, Korea, Kosovo, Cuba and elsewhere. Why is it so ridiculous that we would have troops in Iraq? We had been fighting Saddam Hussein since the 80's!

War is unpredictable and hindsight is always 20/20
but if FDR had been undermined by the MSM-like GWB has- we could all be goose-stepping and speaking in German right now.

2 words, man: Republicans suck. What's with the Republicans?! My God we need Ron Paul!

Ross,

If we succeed in Iraq then "Islamic fanatics" will win because the new Iraqi government is largely controlled by Iranian parties -- Dawa and SCIRI.

It's true that we should never have been involved in Iraq -- that's why I was always against the war -- and the way to correct the "mistake" is to take our forces out of Iraq. The longer we stay in Iraq the more likely it becomes that the war will spread to other countries. It's best to defuse the situation while we still can.

What's going to destroy us more in the short and long term?

Biggest issue? Don't think so. Iraq is not the biggest problem facing us today: nationalizing and giving free American citizenship to 20 million third world immigration criminals and attempting to socially support them and another 50 million of their family members is.

Eric,

All of those people that were killed in Cambodia
after we left Viet Nam might disagree with you;
but we'll never know.

We are at war. The enemy has been at war with us for a long time. We have only recently started to fight back. leaving now will not "diffuse" anything; it will only embolden our enemies by making us look weak willed and impotent.

These death-loving maniacs will follow us home and eventually make 911 look like a firecracker.
Taking our troops out of Iraq will not end the war;
it will only make it harder to win in the long run.

We can't just close our eyes and make believe that Islamo-fascists don't want to conquer the world and impose Sharia law. They're not mincing their words. They want The U.S. and Israel "wiped off the map"

Chamberlain was wrong about Hitler and the appeasers are wrong now about Radical Islam.
What don't you understand about wild eyed crowds of people shouting "Death to America" They mean what they say.

Freedom is not free.

Ross,

You've invented this mythical Islamo fascist bogeyman. Saddam Hussein's Iraq was secular, which is why Iraq had a sprinkling of Christian churches and even Christians in the government. The largest elements in Iraq -- the Shiites -- have no intention of spreading Sharia law to every corner of the globe. They just want us out of Iraq.

"it will only embolden our enemies by making us look weak willed and impotent."

Who is the enemy?

"These death-loving maniacs will follow us home and eventually make 911 look like a firecracker."

Then why did President Bush say that when the Iraqi forces are able to stand up we'll stand down? If the "terrorists" will just follow us back home, then training Iraqi security forces isn't going to do a thing to stop the "enemy."

"We can't just close our eyes and make believe that Islamo-fascists don't want to conquer the world and impose Sharia law."

Islamo-fascisism is a made up term that doesn't refer to anything real. And even if it did, it wouldn't matter because they simply lack the resources to make any impression on the United States.

"Chamberlain was wrong about Hitler and the appeasers are wrong now about Radical Islam."

Hiter was the chancellor of Germany, and Germany had one of the world's largest economies and most sophisticated military. Islam has a few goats and IEDS.

There is no real, organized Islamic threat to the United States. That is why you just keep referring to the "enemy" or the "terrorists." Your lack of specificity indicates you are just repeating pro war propaganda, but really have no clear conception of what we're fighting.

Also, our "war" in Iraq involves defending an Islamic government -- Maliki's -- that consists of Shiite political parties that originated in Iran -- DAWA and SCIRI. We're not fighting Islam, or even radical Islam, but fighting secularism (Ba'athist Party) and permitting Islam to flourish in the new Iraq.

Since the war in Iraq is immoral -- for Iraq and the United States -- leaving will not make us appear weak, but virtuous and just, because it is the right thing to do.

Eric,
Assuming you're right,
What should we do when the next 911 happens?

Ross,

It's not a given that another 9/11 will happen.

If "terrorists" are really such a grave threat to our national survival, then why not secure the border and eliminate the Visa express program we have with nations like Saudi Arabia? President Bush isn't particularly concerned about Muslim immigrants coming to this country because he knows the "threat" is just propaganda.

Eric,
Do you believe our president was behind 911?