Thoughts on Iraq

I've boiled things down a bit here.

The only reason we're still in Iraq is because when we leave, our government fears (fear is a common theme behind poor judgment) that the ensuing chaos will jeopardize the oil there and potentially wreak havoc with Saudi Arabia, where a lot of American money lies. Our reliance on oil causes our government to fear what destruction to the reserves out there will do to our economy, or at least the big oil companies. I have a feeling that such a situation is exactly what we need to jumpstart the alternative fuels race, at once advancing public transportation infrastructures as well. It would even affect me directly, for I would certainly have to get a different job if gas was $7 a gallon, but would that not be for the better??


Common sense indicates that when we leave whichever sect is more powerful in Iraq will rise to the top and run the country as needed PER their population's cultural norms and needs. Is it not true that all established and successful governments/ constitutions have come from within? How arrogant/ ridiculous is it to think that we could impose a sort of Republican utopia in the middle east, with such a naivete about their culture. Yes, some of this is armchair quarterbacking and has the advantage of hindsight, but when you vote in 2008, we are morally obligated to go with whoever is gonna get us out of the middle east. Our presense there has nothing to do with when the next attack on our soil will occur. Perhaps, though, our presense is boosting Al Qaeda's size exponentially, increasing their resources and weapon's capacity.