Obama and Iraq

The other day I caught part of Obama's speech on Iraq. I'm impressed. The perception needs to be clear - America is no longer occupying Iraq - and the circumstances are as good as we can reasonably hope for at this present moment. It is true, Obama's official position is barely different from what Bush agreed to in the status of forces agreement last fall. But Obama's opposition to the war bonafides and Bush's decision to surge in 2007 combined pose a unique opportunity for a consensus draw down - in short - a moderate and calm way out where both sides can claim a sort of "victory."

Granted - it might not work. There's always that possibility. But we can't occupy Iraq forever, either. We simply cannot afford to - financially, militarily, or morally. We made our play and now's the time to let the chips fall as they may.