EDITORIAL: If We Can Win in Iraq, Let’s Do It

By Belleville News-Democrat, Ill.

Jan. 10–President Bush tonight is set to announce his plan to send more troops to Iraq — an idea that polls show a majority of Americans oppose.

Given his disappointing management of the war, that reaction is understandable. Bush’s failure to admit the war was going badly and change direction sooner is part of the reason the violence in Iraq is out of control. That, and he went into this war not understanding the hatred between religious sects.

Still, people need to give Bush’s ideas to salvage the situation fair consideration. Our invasion helped create the chaos in Iraq. If adding troops gives us a legitimate shot at helping stabilize the country, how can we not do it?

Bush has three choices:

–Stay the course

–Pull out the troops

–Increase the number of troops.

We know already that the first two options won’t lead to victory and may even make matters worse. It’s not certain that increasing the number of troops will help, either. It’s possible that the situation in Iraq has deteriorated so far that Iraq is beyond help.

But it’s also possible that now that Bush has new policy leaders in Washington and Iraq, and with more troops on the ground, the situation can still be turned around.

The men and women who serve in the military and their families have sacrificed much in his war. The J. Brian Wilson family in Edwardsville, for example, has four children serving in the military, one of whom has already served in Iraq. They all know they could be sent into a war zone.

They serve out of love of country, and leave the debate about Iraq to our country’s leaders.

Democrats oppose sending more troops; however, they refuse to say the cause is lost in Iraq. Standing in the middle of the road isn’t good policy, either. If Bush can make the case that an increase in troops can stabilize Iraq, it seems to us we are honor-bound to try.

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Copyright (c) 2007, Belleville News-Democrat, Ill.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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