"Responsible War" and "Aggressive Diplomacy"

P-duck is not as celebratory…
I wish I could share in The Rhetorical Situation’s overall happiness at Obama’s nomination; however, I am concerned with his inexperience and with his stance towards the Iraq war.

“Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will make it clear that we will not build any permanent bases in Iraq. He will keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and diplomats; if al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq, he will keep troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda.” http://www.barakobama.com/

Obama’s plan to “responsibly end the war” (can one “responsibly” end war?) includes the immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and the launching of an “aggressive diplomatic efforts” in the region. “Aggressive diplomatic efforts” seems like an oxymoron to me, and I’m curious as to how effective diplomatic efforts will be in a region where life is currently defined by physical violence, not diplomacy.

If “al Qaeda attempts to build a base,’ THEN he’ll keep troops in Iraq? Things will have gotten pretty bad if al Qaeda is able to build a base.

I like that Obama recognizes that there is a “humanitarian crisis” in Iraq happening in the present, but his solutions focus on refugees, not current citizens trying to eke out a living in a war-torn country. Al Qaeda continues to wreak havoc on the day-to-day lives of average Iraqis, and, as Mr. P-Duck and I have discussed many times, a weak economy and faltering infrastructure make it difficult to stabilize the country. Many of the US military’s responsibilities have involved protecting major highways so that food and supplies can reach Iraqi towns, rebuilding schools and hospitals, etc. Terrible poverty and desperation have driven many Iraqis to join the insurgency, thus undermining much of the progress made by humanitarian and military efforts. If the US pulls out completely, who will continue to protect the transportation of goods? The diplomats?

As many of you know, Iraq is a personal subject in the Duck household. Mr. P-Duck and I don’t feel that an immediate withdrawal of the troops will do much good for Iraq. It will, however, make the president (or president-to-be) look good in the eyes of the American public.

I am a Democrat, so Obama will get my vote, reluctantly. Hawkish McCain scares me more than Obama’s naiveté about war.