Campaign speech. Why should we leave Iraq? Thats the question so many Americans have been asking since the war started. I have the answer.

        The amount of money and casualties this war has caused is huge, with thousands dead and millions in debt. Iraq has cost us two trillion dollars- without interest, and with interest, an estimated 2.65 trillion dollars in debt (Bilmes and Stiglitz). This enormous amount of debt will take our future generations years and years to pay off. Forecasts of the cost are fueling a controversy over the impact on America's own budget and economy. Couldn’t we spend that money here improving cities, schools, and healthcare? Essentially, rebuilding the U.S. is more important, than rebuilding Iraq. Since 2003 when we first entered Iraq, 4400 of our soldiers, and counting, have died (Griffis). Lastly, the soldiers still alive are being sent to have the impossible task of refereeing a civil war. We have to pull them out before more get killed for a pointless cause. All the pain and suffering inflicted, all the lives lost and the money spent are sunk costs, and we need get over them. Given the consequences of our invasion, it seems unnecessary to sacrifice more soldiers and dollars to support our enemies and trap our troops in a civil war. This means getting out, and I want to pull the troops out today.                                                Caught in our own trap, we should admit that we have brought ruin to Iraq, seriously damaged our own interests, economy and the lives of thousands of soldiers, and even aided our enemies. We are being told that the real reason Americans must continue to die in Iraq is to create a democracy in Iraq, but a democracy won’t succeed because not everyone wants to live in a democracy. When the Iraqis had their election, we were all supposed to have been excited and happy, but a society that is stuck in the 12th century, that missed the Enlightenment, and entirely missed the liberal revolutions that swept through Europe and the Americas, was obviously bound to create a tyranny. They say the worst can be prevented as long as we stand between Iraq and the Dark Ages, but can we really stay there any longer, while we see whether forced Westernization will help them at all? By killing tens of thousands of Iraqis, we have only enraged those we are trying to help and multiplied recruits for terrorism. We should leave, and we should leave now. So, vote for me, John Abraham Smith, because a vote for me is a vote to bring our troops home- for good.

Works Cited

Baker, Brent. "Conservative vs. Liberal Beliefs." Student News Daily. Student News Daily, 2005. Web. 25 Apr 2010.

Bilmes, Linda J., and Joseph E. Stiglitz. "Costs of the Iraq War." ProCon. ProCon, Mar. 2008. Web. 25 Apr 2010.

"CIA’s final report: No WMD found in Iraq." MSNBC. Associated Press, 25 Apr. 2005. Web. 27 Apr 2010.

Griffis, Margaret . "Casualties in Iraq." Antiwar. Randolph Bourne Institute, 25 Apr. 2010. Web. 26 Apr 2010.

Kuttner, Robert. "Has the Iraq War made America safer?" ProCon. ProCon, 31 Mar. 2004. Web. 25 Apr 2010.