By Debra Sweet
March 3, 2009
WorldCantWait.net

Barack Obama said last Tuesday night to Congress, 'I will not allow terrorists to plot against the American people from safe havens halfway around the world. We will not allow it.'

I wonder how people in the Middle East felt hearing that, having been bombed as if they are terrorists for most of this decade, either directly by US planes, or with US made weapons, as in Gaza? An Iraqi in Sikrit, said, "In fact, the US forces achieved one thing: That is destroying Iraq ... We hope that the US soldiers will leave our country sooner rather than later in order to put an end to the bloodiest pages in Iraq's history.'

The US Defense Department is finally allowing the news media to photograph caskets and funerals of US military, even as Robert Gates and the generals in charge are warning that the next year, with 17,000 more US troops going into Afghanistan, is going to be very "rough.'

Thursday, Obama announced plans to remove some troops from Iraq over a 19 month period, unless the generals advise him otherwise. The remaining 30,000 to 50,000 troops will be re-named "advisors' and stay indefinitely; the 17 US bases will remain in US control.

Those who are breathing a sigh of relief that US troops are being slowly removed from Iraq should stop and realize that this is part of an overall strategy to deepen and strengthen, not end, US domination of the region. Those who think our job is to "help' Barack Obama carry out this plan are not looking at the interests of the people here, or in the Middle East, in stopping this occupation immediately.

From World Can't Wait Steering Committee member (and member of Military Families Speak Out, with a son currently in Iraq) Elaine Brower: It's NOT OK!

"As I sit here tonight listening to the crap about extending troop withdrawal 19 months, instead of 16 months, and keeping 50,000 troops in Iraq as so called "advisers' or "trainers' or whatever they want to nickname them, I am outraged! I expected this, but did you? This is wrong. The occupation is wrong, and those of us in the anti-war movement have been screaming this at the top of our lungs for the last 6 years, even before the first boots were on the ground in Iraq.

Even before the campaign of "shock and awe' even lit up the skies above innocent people. What the hell are we thinking?

Mobilize on the 19th, do something loud and meaningful. Complacency is not acceptable, nor is silence. People are dying, people are crippled for life, we must act now. We owe it to the Iraqi people.'

Source URL: http://worldcantwait.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5422