Last week marked the 6th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Today, Osama bin Laden remains at large and Al Qaeda and the Taliban are growing stronger in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Last week marked the 6th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Today, Osama bin Laden remains at large and Al Qaeda and the Taliban are growing stronger in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
We now all know there was never any evidence of a relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda, prior to our invasion. But President Bush and Vice President Cheney repeatedly spread misinformation about close links between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden--contrary even to the conclusions of U.S. intelligence agencies.
When we invaded Iraq in 2003, we entered a war of choice, not a war of necessity. We did so to bring down Saddam Hussein, eliminate weapons of mass destruction (that turned out not to exist), and plant seeds of democracy. Our troops valiantly met those objectives.
The new Government Accountability Office (GOA) report shows the Iraqi government has failed to meet 15 of 18 benchmarks for success. And a report from retired Marine General James Jones says the Iraqi government is unable to assume security responsibilities there, and indicates the Iraqi Interior Ministry is dysfunctional.
These reports only bolster my belief that it is time to bring our troops home.
Still, General Petraeus and the White House ask for more time, money, and troops to help support an Iraqi government that appears unwilling and unable to govern.
If Congress has the power to start a war, we have the power to end it. It's long past time to end our involvement in Iraq's civil war and refocus our efforts on the real threats of terrorism around the world.