You did it: Iraq war ending at last
In more than eight years of persistent and inspiring activism, you never lost sight of our goal: to bring every last American soldier home from Iraq. Today, it was gratifying to hear President Obama finally announce that all US soldiers will leave the country by the end of the year. You helped make that happen, and I thank you for your tireless dedication.
Of course there is still much work to do. Thousands of private security contractors remain in Iraq. Soldiers and Afghans are having their lives turned upside down by still-raging war in Afghanistan. But the end of the war in Iraq can inspire us to achieve that same end in Afghanistan and wherever war rages.
In the midst of these struggles, it’s important that we mark our victories. As I watched the bombs fall on Baghdad in 2003, I didn’t know when our protesting, lobbying, birddogging, calling and letter writing would pay off. Today, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and your efforts made a real impact in the lives of soldiers who can come home safely to their families and Iraqis who can take their country back.
Thank you for all you do for a more peaceful world.
I’m as glad as you that this is happening, but I’m not sure we can take credit for it. The Iraqis are the ones whose elected representatives insisted on the December 2011 deadline for withdrawal. The United States agreed to this deadline under duress when they couldn’t get the Iraqis to agree to a longer occupation. Until the last minute, the US was pushing Iraq to change the deadline, but they refused. So the US really had no choice but to withdraw — continuing the occupation would have been grossly illegal and would have made American soldiers into legitimate targets for Iraqi resistance fighters.
I say congratulations to the Iraqis for electing a government that would stand up for their demands. If only our government and institutions were so responsive!