In his September 13, 2007 policy speech on Iraq, President Bush repeated his theme that American efforts at stabilizing Iraq from a security perspective will lead to political reconciliation there.  According to the President, U.S. troops continue to make progress toward pacifying the country, and the bulk of those forces need to remain.

Perhaps so, but I became uneasy when the President predicted a continued military involvement in Iraq beyond the end of his term of office.  I still believe our troops should be out of Iraq by early 2009.  Six years of the Iraq war is more than enough.  Indeed, I don't think any of the war's advocates contemplated, in 2003, that we would be making such a long-term commitment.  After all, the original purpose of the invasion was simply to remove weapons of mass destruction.

I would withdraw American forces from Iraq by Spring, 2009.  We need to refocus our energy on rebuilding the military and securing our ports and borders.

For more of Samuel Berry's views, please visit
http://www.berry2008.org