Dealing with the Devil

One more "compromise" program seems to be in the works. It seems Bob Gates is trying to get the Dems to agree to a long-term/permanent presence in Iraq in exchange for an immediate draw down of troops.

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates and some allies in the Bush administration are seeking to build bipartisan political support for a long-term U.S. presence in Iraq by moving toward withdrawing significant numbers of troops from Iraq by the end of President Bush's term.

I'm sorry, but leaving large numbers of troops in Iraq, stationed in enclaves outside the cities, is not a solution to anything. It's our presence in Iraq, period, exclamation point, that is the thorn in everyone's side. It's their country, not ours. How would we like it if the Germans, for example, had half a million of their troops (roughly the same ratio to our population as leaving 50,000 is to the Iraqi population) stationed in bases around the U.S. to kill American citizens who were organizing to throw out the Germans?

Unfortunately, most Americans don't seem to be able to put themselves in anyone else's shoes and see things from their point of view. It's because most Americans think we are superior to everyone else.

If the Dems buy into this, they're fools. But, there's nothing new there, is there?