Iraq war

By Robert Hamilton

We need to gradually, responsibly withdraw our troops from Iraq as soon as possible so that we will be able to effectively fight the terrorist networks in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other parts of the world.

While violence is down in Iraq, for many reasons, the national reconciliation promised by Iraqi politicians has not occurred. We are stuck in a peacekeeping role as we continue to drain our treasury and degrade our military strength.

We need to bring other countries into the effort to preserve the progress that has been made and pressure the Iraqis to resolve their political issues. For the most part, our allies and friends have abandoned us because of their dislike for the current administration's foreign policies. We need to reestablish a good working relationship with our allies and include Iraq's neighbors, who want to avoid the spillover chaos of all-out civil war.