A Call to Support Democracy

As the debate on Iraq rages on, we hear more and more voices that call for throwing in the towel and leaving the mess to Iraqis to sort out. A new and unexpected proponent of this argument is Thomas Friedman of the New York Times, who said in a recent column that it's time for "Plan B." Only a few months before, he was arguing that it would be time for the United States to pack up and go only "when we don't see Iraqis taking the risk to build a progressive Iraq." Now, under the weight of bad news from Baghdad, he seems ready to abandon those very same brave men and women fighting valiantly to establish peace and justice in Iraq. I am an admirer of Friedman, who is generally thoughtful, well informed and supportive, but in this case he and many like him have gone dangerously off-track.

The controversy over the decision by the United States to remove the Saddam Hussein regime should not prevent an honest assessment of the situation of Iraq today. That the post-Hussein period was not well managed is now widely acknowledged. But we are where we are, and there is a future for all our children to secure. Plan B, advocated by Friedman and others, is to abandon the region to religious fanatics and Baathist terrorists. It is nothing but a declaration of defeat dressed up to look like a vision for the future.

Iraqi Shiite pilgrims pray Saturday outside a shrine honoring Imam Moussa Kadhim in Baghdad during the annual commemoration of the revered figure's death. (By Hadi Mizban -- Associated Press) Who's Blogging? Read what bloggers are saying about this article. The Strata-Sphere Betsy's Page SWJ Daily News Links Full List of Blogs (6 links) » Most Blogged About Articles On washingtonpost.com | On the web Save & Share