Taking on the NeoCon/Conservative arguments for staying in Iraq

George W Bush is a stubborn man. He clings to his ideas like flies cling to dung.
Among those ideas that Bush continues to spout are the arguments for staying in Iraq indefinitely.
Here, the Gafly will take on these arguments and show how worthless they are.
First is the argument that we must defeat Al Qaeda in Iraq. Yes, I think anyone, conservative or liberal will argue that Al Qaeda should be neutralized. But let's look at the facts. George W Bush, though his incompetent leadership, has given Al Qaeda a new base of operations in Iraq. We cannot trust anyone with such incompetence to take on Al Qaeda. Also, who heads Al Qaeda? Ever hear about a man named Osama Bin Laden? It is an embarrassment that we haven't brought Bin Laden to justice after all these years post 9/11. Bring Osama and the top Al Qaeda leadership to justice and the organization will be castrated.
Next is the argument that we cannot let our soldiers die in vain. This is what I call the sympathy for the dead argument. We cannot undo reality - that thousands of our soldiers have died for a mistake. They have already died in vain, and we should not let more of them follow that path.
Now, we go on to our fear argument - if we don't fight them over there, they will fight us over here. Explain to me how a punk teenage insurgent with an AK-47 in Iraq can ever manage to come to American shores and harm any man, woman, or child here? Also, if you're going to use the word *fight*, back it up with adequate military. We are trying to *fight* in Iraq, a country with over 26 million residents, who knows how many of whom are insurgents, with a paltry 140,000 strong military force?!? If you're going to fight, Mr. President, fight, otherwise don't do a half-ass job and call it fighting. We are little more than target practice for Al Qaeda and insurgents in Iraq. Either we or our allies put up *millions* of soldiers in Iraq to instill order, or we admit that it can't be done and leave.
Lastly, there is the argument that we are fighting for freedom over there. This is perhaps the most laughable. Was Abu Graib an example of fighting for "freedom"? Is a theocratic government of Shiite muslims an example of freedom on the march? We will never get around the corruption, religious antagonism, and extreme religious views embedded in Iraq. No amount of military force, or diplomacy can undo that. The sooner we as a country understand this, the sooner we can stop loosing our blood and money over Bush's folly.
The best hope for Iraq is for a secular dictator, i.e. Saddam clone, to come in and restore order and suppress Islamic radicalism in that country.
In the meantime, let's stop wasting our money and soldier's lives over a mistake.