Rep. Ike Skelton: Failing to remove troops from Iraq could be disastrous

In a recent article, Washington Post columnist E J Dionne had a lot to say about Rep. Ike Skelton's (D-MO) reaction to the "surge" strategy. Referring to a needed change in tatics by war opponents, Dionne writes: "Their goal, Skelton made clear, was to move away from a narrow argument over whether the surge has succeeded or failed -- the subject on which Petraeus, in a clear and steady voice, offered a small mountain of statistics -- to a broader debate about 'the overall security of this nation.'"

Continuing, "The issue, Skelton insisted, is whether 'Iraq is the war worth the risk of breaking our army and being unable to deal with other risks to our nation.' Thus did the Missouri Democrat issue an indirect plea that those inside the Pentagon who are skeptical of a lengthy engagement in Iraq make their views known. Facing the Petraeus challenge, congressional Democrats are discovering that other generals may be their strongest allies."

And here comes the key point in my opinion:

"When Skelton said that 'with so many troops in Iraq, I think our response to an unexpected threat would come at a devastating cost,' he offered a direct challenge to the administration: If withdrawing troops from Iraq is dangerous, failing to withdraw them may, in the long run, be even more dangerous."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con tent/article/2007/09/10/AR2007091002070. html?hpid%3Dopinionsbox1&sub=AR

Support the troops, end the war. Democracy is not a spectator sport.

Don Wheeler