From the Washington Times: Gunmen waved their weapons in Fallujah’s streets and outside car windows yesterday, cheering what they called a victory as U.S. forces pulled back. However, the Marines insisted they weren’t going far and that a new Iraqi force taking the front line will root out die-hard insurgents. The new Fallujah Protection Army, put together by Iraqi generals from Saddam Hussein’s ousted regime, likely will include former army soldiers who fought American forces over the past month, Marine Lt. Gen. James Conway said…. Scores of Iraqis gathered in the streets, some flashing “V” for victory signs and raising the Iraqi flag. Motorists shouted, “Islam, it’s your day,” and “We redeem Islam with our blood.”
Tell me again that we can’t pull out because it would send a bad message… that message has already been sent and received. A complete pull-out would at least demonstrate that we have an understanding of what we can do – remove unsavory regimes – and what we can’t. Since any regime wants nothing more than to stay in power, we’ve already demonstrated the only thing that really matters. Unfortunately, this notion of nation-building and trying to impose democracy without conceding power to the religious extremists has already obscured that object lesson. Whatever happened to Hussein anyhow? Next thing you know, they’ll be putting him back in charge.