As September approaches, let us hold out hope that Congress will act in a responsible fashion and state a time when American forces will leave Iraq, and that this time will be soon.

It is totally irresponsible to wait for Bush to leave office. It is equally irresponsible to think this is Bush’s war and let him have his way until he leaves office. This is our war. In Vietnam, this was called the “decent interval”- the time between leaders knew we were going to leave, and the actual time of withdrawal. Thousands of Americans and Vietnamese died violently during this time. It was immoral then, and it is immoral now.

Americans know in their hearts and heads that this invasion and subsequent occupation was a mistake and a failure. Let’s agree to be honest with each other and ourselves and take the responsible action of bringing the troops home. The daily bleeding must end very soon.

Our troops’ presence is a catalyst for the insurgency and inter-Iraqi violence. Our departure will cause a significant reduction in the violence there. Real political action will take place once the occupation ends. Then Iraqis will be motivated to resolve their differences. The genocide talk is a smokescreen from the administration for a continuation in public support for the American occupation. It’s worse than the “fight them there, so we don’t have to fight them here” logic because it is so cynical.

The administration doesn’t care about the average Iraqi.

Edward Ferreira, New Sharon

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