EDITORIAL: Mission accomplished
Friday President Barack Obama announced troops would leave Iraq by the beginning of the new year.
According to the Washington Post, the U.S. military lost 4,478 members, with another 32,213 wounded in the Iraq War.
According to CBS News, the war cost about $700 billion.
While Iraq now exists as a democratic state, the price paid in both fiscal and human terms makes classifying the end of U.S. operations in the country as a “victory” seem disrespectful and trite.
This war was so strongly opposed by so many patriotic Americans, that phrases like, “I support the troops, but …” became common. The Iraq War demonstrated the profound disconnect between American society and our military mechanism. There was no rationing, no war bond campaign and no draft. The cost of war was burdened quietly by a small number of American families.
The insurgency was ended and Iraqi life began to take on some degree of normalcy. However, the war should stand as a strong reminder that technology and enthusiasm are not enough for a viable occupation. It should remind us that flag waving and fear make for poor foreign policy.
The lack of planning for the war after the war is as strong an indictment against the conflict as the misconstrued evidence that led to it. The immediate shifting of priorities from securing weapons of mass destruction to securing stability for the Iraqi people was given poor preparation.
The Bush Administration attempted to paper over the cracks of sectarian violence, resulting in a nearly decade-long battle to quell violence. Yet, somehow, through improvised tactics and sheer will, American troops will finally leave behind a mostly stable country.
They will return home to a nation in crisis. There will be no more blood shed or money spent in the pursuit of a questionable war. Our brave men and women gave everything in pursuit of an objective that they managed to achieve, despite having the odds stacked against them.
Mission accomplished.
