Many want to set a firm timetable for Iraq. Both houses of Congress have tried to impose deadlines for our troops to come home, and even President Bush has admitted our country doesn’t have infinite patience.
But the war in Iraq won’t end as quickly as we’d like it to. It is, after all, part of the long war against radical Islamic fundamentalism, which Kirkpatrick correctly defines as “an ideology of expansionist tyranny, propelled by an unrelenting will to dominate other nations, cultures, and religions.”
It’s understandable that Americans want to exit Iraq swiftly. But we should realize we won’t be able to make much progress elsewhere if we don’t win in Iraq, where our troops continue the difficult task of making war to keep peace.