This editorial appeared in The (Tacoma) News Tribune.
Iraqi officials reportedly drove a hard bargain on the U.S. withdrawal they’ve just negotiated with American diplomats.
To which we say: Let them take advantage of us as much as they want, if it gets our troops out of Iraq more quickly.
The proposed new security pact – which was approved Sunday by the Iraqi cabinet – calls for a complete pullout of American forces by the end of 2011.
The combat drawdown would happen much faster. Some restrictions on U.S. military operations would take effect Jan. 1, and American troops would be withdrawn from Iraqi cities by June 30. U.S. casualties, which have already dropped dramatically in recent months, would be brought down further when Americans are no longer entangled in urban warfare.
Can the Iraqi military assume control of the deadly streets of Baghdad and Mosul so quickly? Iraqi leaders think so, and that’s what matters. It is, after all, their country.
To read the complete editorial, visit The (Tacoma) News Tribune.