It is not un-American or unpatriotic to want a change in the way we deal with the neighbors of this world.  We spilled our children's blood in Iraq, true enough.  This does not mean we must continue to spill it nor should it mean we should build bases in Iraq and stay forever.  This article is filled with passion yet the logic used would further stretch to include a preemptive, intervention in all countries where people are oppressed.  This list is long and war will be never ending if the ideas presented in this article truly were applied to all countries, including Iraq.  The following words of James Madison still are true, "Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes...known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. . . No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare."

Freedom is never free.  I am a lifetime member of the VFW, not a passivist nor an isolationist.  This article reflects a single view of the Iraq war but misses the mark in why we are in Iraq.  We did not go in to free oppressed people unable to free themselves, if that were the only reason we entered Iraq we would have also entered Darfur, North Korea, and many other countries.  We cannot simply pull everyone out tomorrow, we cannot allow the Iraqi people to fall into anarchy or chaos.  We helped kill over a half million of the Iraqi people and helped destroy many things so we are obligated to help fix the mess we helped create.  Yet that does not mean we must stay and fight forever, it means we MUST alter our agressive policies and teach the world a better way to deal with each other than war.  It means we must give the people of Iraq their country back and get out of their way.  It means we must start changing our war mongering ways and stop spilling the blood of our troops defending far away borders of countries we have no business being in.  It means we need to start defending our own borders and repairing our own infrastructure.  It means we apply the golden rule to governments around the world and it means we start treating other countries the way we expect other countries to treat us.

 To lay out a trap within the article that any who thinks counter the author is non-patriotic or un-American is simply wrong.  The blood we've shed for freedom needs to be invested in helping bring peace and stability.  If we are freedom's fighters, defenders, and lovers we must then allow all countries to be free.  We must be strong in our defense and stay open in our foreign policy...we must not intervene in others affairs unless there is a crisis and we are asked to help protect and save life and then it must be done with the will and support of the people of this country.  We must be brave enough to end our intervention rather than rally toward more death for some misguided concept of why we are in Iraq.

Casawood,  I agree with most of what you say, with a few exceptions. I believe that Iraq was picked for this war because of it's stratigic position. Because of that, we will stay in Iraq with full blown air bases. Iran and Syria will know we are there, always able to support Israel and the oil fields of the smaller gulf countries.  Because saddam was a defiant dictator, he set himself up to be hit, and hit him we did. Now, his position belongs to us and the friendly Iraqis want us to stay. We have many Iraqi groups working with us on the ground. This kind of cooperation has proved to be priceless as a method to keep our agenda tied to their agendas. We have done this in South Korea, and South Koreans have proven to be valued allies in many conflicts since. So, I think we stay.

On the other hand, the ease with which Muslims kill and die is a constant reminder to avoid boots on the ground of any of their countries in the future. I can forsee an air war against Iran, and nothing short of a full anihilation of Syria when the time comes. The ease with which Muslims kill and die is also a source for the thought that they collectively are not worth the effort of dropping a bottle of clean water on them.  We will think twice before getting involved with nation building ever again.

Then again, the USA will never sit by and allow an invasion like Saddam pulled on Kuwait. Bullyism doesn't sell well here.  I expect the next invasion into a Muslim country to be strictly military. Collateral death will be unavoidable, rather a fact of the fog of war. PC war is the work of fools anyway. It leaves a question unanswered, and full war should answer all questions, even..... whose the baddest ?