I think if it would hurry up and end our involvement in Iraq it would be okay.

I don't think there is any way for us to "hurry up and get out" at this point in time. A recently released article concerning the proposed 20,000 indicates that placing more troops in Iraq will help to alleviate the insurgent forces.

For example: "'The Iraqis have to step up,' White House counselor Dan Bartlett said." My question - they haven't stepped up to this point in time, the insurgents haven't been disbanded or felt threatened, how will merely placing more troops in harm's way allow or permit this to happen?

We're talking about a nation that has been beaten into submission by a dictator, angry mobs that resort to any method of violence to get their points across, and have little to no self esteem. With such a history, I think it will take a lot of time and effort on multiple fronts for any differences or changes to be made. For those reasons, I think a quick exit is unlikely.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16558652/

I am in favor of increasing troops into Iraq to bring order into areas that need more control. The vast majority of the violence is in Baghdad and the surrounding areas not in the entire country of Iraq. There are many good things happening in that country, but we do not hear about them through the biased media.

I am also of the opinion that the Iraqi troops need to get into high gear as far as getting ready to take control of the security forces for the entire country. I agree with the president that they need to do it by a certain time and the sooner the better. We have been there for nearly four years now and it is time for them to step up and be accounted for.

This is a war and war is not pretty. The longer we stay there the worse it will be for our country as the forces will be looked at as an occupation force. The US is already looked at by the rest of the world as a superpower, and opinions vary (depending on if the countries that like us get money and food from us) as to whether we are good or bad. By pulling out too early, it will appear to the rest of the world that we are weak and cannot handle the heat of warfare. It will weaken us for any future conflict and bring on more terrorism in this country because we do not have the backbone as a country to stand up to the conflicts that come our way.

Very well said!