What If We Don't Like Who Wins?...

Well then guess what. We have to use diplomacy to work with the new prime minister no matter what. If the first prime minister of Iraq is not what we had in mind, we cannot or should not fight to change it. We promised the Iraqi people a democracy not a puppet government. That means we cannot control it.

The prime minister leading right now wants to make sure that American forces are out "as soon as possible". The people of Iraq know we are attracting terrorists filled with hatred for us. I don't blame them for wanting us out of there. Occupation was never what they had in mind. Here's a quote from the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq:

We regard these forces to have committed many mistakes in the handling of various issues, the first and foremost being that of security, which in turn has contributed to the massacres, crimes and calamities that have taken place in Iraq against the Iraqis.

The bottom line is that Iraq wants to secure itself without the help of the United States. I do not think Iraq could secure itself with us there anyway. Our troops are a magnet for hatred.

There is a possibility that Syria or Iran will play a role in helping Iraq get on its feet. We have to allow that even if we consider those countries to be "enemies". There will be violence following the democratic elections because the elections are a change that the terrorists hate. The U.S. cannot defend the Iraqi people but must allow Iraqi police forces to handle the violence. Iraqis will die but if they do not become self-sufficient, they will not last as a country. We should take the role of being a monitor of the events that play out. If things get bad, than we ask if they want further assistance. The United States must trust in the fact that the Iraqi people can and will run the country.