As more Democrats come out against the war in Iraq and demand an exit strategy, the Bush administration is launching unjust attacks on opponents, instead of developing a plan to withdraw troops and end the conflict.Some key Democrats have finally started to speak out against the war and criticize the Bush administration’s lack of strategy to bring the troops home. Rep. John Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat who is a decorated Vietnam War veteran, stated on Thursday, Nov. 17 that U.S. troops should begin leaving Iraq within six months. Rep. Murtha’s comments were so surprising because he initially voted for the war and is considered a hawk.
Though Rep. Murtha voted for the war, it seems as though he has come to understand the grave loss of life happening in Iraq. He also understands and has acknowledged that occupying Iraq is only feeding the insurgency and breeding more violence.
Other prominent Democrats have also come out against the war. Former senator of North Carolina John Edwards, who was Sen. John Kerry’s choice for vice president in 2004, published an op-ed piece in the Washington Post on Sunday, Nov. 13 criticizing the war and calling for an exit strategy. “The intelligence was deeply flawed and, in some cases, manipulated to fit a political agenda,” Edwards wrote.
Edwards also apologized for voting for the war when he was a senator. “It was a mistake to vote for this war in 2002. I take responsibility for that mistake,” he said. The former senator went on to say that the Bush administration must begin withdrawing troops and allowing Iraqis to govern and secure their own country.
Edwards made another important point in his op-ed piece. He said that it is crucial that the administration erase the image of America as an imperial power by removing American companies from Iraq that have used the war to make money.
“American contractors who have taken unfair advantage of the turmoil in Iraq need to leave Iraq. If that means Halliburton subsidiary KBR, then KBR should go,” he wrote.
Edwards and Rep. Murtha are not the only Democrats criticizing the war. Former President Bill Clinton spoke out against the handling of the war on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at a forum at the American University of Dubai.
“It was a big mistake. The American government made several errors…one of which is how easy it would be to get rid of Saddam and how hard it would be to unite the country,” he said at the forum.
The remarks of Edwards, Rep. Murtha and former President Clinton have caused administration officials to launch vicious attacks at their critics. Vice President Cheney and President Bush have pointed out during news conferences recently that Democrats voted for the war and should not criticize the effort. However, Democrats voted for the war because they were given false intelligence that stated Saddam had weapons of mass destruction.
The president has also said several times that U.S. troops will stay the course in Iraq until the mission is complete, which could take years.
The president and his supporters need to realize that support for the war has plummeted and Americans are disgusted with the administration’s policy, as shown by recent polls.
A NBC/WSJ poll conducted between Nov. 4-7 found that the president’s job approval rating has sunk to 38 percent. The same poll, which questioned more than 1,000 adults in the country and has a margin of error plus or minus 3.1 percent, states that the president’s approval rating on Iraq is only 32 percent.
Other recent polls are also critical of the administration andthe war. An ABC News poll released on Nov. 3 states that only 40 percent of the 1,200 adults surveyed believe that the president is honest. The same poll says that 55 percent of those surveyed believe that the president deliberately misled the American people to go to war with Iraq. The poll has a margin of error plus or minus three percent and was conducted by telephone between Oct. 30-Nov. 2.
Once support for a war is lost, it is nearly impossible to gain it back, as shown during the Vietnam War. Democrats that have already started speaking out against the war should continue to do so. Other prominent Democrats, like Sen. Hillary Clinton, need to realize Americans have turned against the war. They should not be afraid to speak out and demand an exit strategy.
Americans that want the troops brought home should contact their senators and representatives and demand that pressure be placed on the administration to develop an exit strategy. The president and his allies need to spend more time developing ways to bring the troops home instead of verbally attacking critics and opponents.
Brian Fanelli is a senior majoring in comparative literature with minors in creative writing and journalism.