VFA News Analysis: August 19, 2008

More than five years after the invasion of Iraq, and it’s sometimes hard to know who our allies are. The Shiite-led government of Iraq that our armed forces have, at a continually high cost, helped prop up is now cracking down on the Sunni Arab fighters our military backed to try and bring calm to Diyala province. U.S. officials have credited the Sunni Arab fighters in Diyala, sometimes known as Awakening Councils, Sons of Iraq and Popular Committees, with helping rid the region of al Qaeda. How much longer will our men and women have to be in the middle of an all-Iraqi battle? Army leaders are well aware of the incredible strain our troops are under to continue supplying forces to Iraq. So stretched is the regular military that the Guard and Reserve have been called upon again and again to maintain current deployment policy — so much so that half of all troops deploying to Iraq through the end of President Bush’s term will be from the National Guard. We cannot predict how the civil strife in Iraq will end up, but we do know with a certainty that current deployment policy is tearing up our military and our military families. One thing for sure: Iraq is having no problem spending some of its vast budget reserves on U.S.-made armaments.

There’s no question we need our Guard members back at home. They’re already quite busy. They’re busy with important work on the homefront all too frequently.

No matter your view on how well or poorly things are going in Iraq, Americans are of rather one voice these days on whether to stay: they want to redeploy our troops out of Iraq. Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, where the war on those who attacked us on Sept. 11 actually is still being fought, the enemy is not easing up even while we’ve been distracted in Iraq.

Veterans of the war in Iraq discuss why they have chosen to support Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, for President. (26:24 in length.) Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, charges Obama was wrong on the surge – while Obama counters that the surge has brought political reconciliation no closer in Iraq.

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