SmallGovTimes.com

By: Steve Adcock | Published on 01/13/08    

Delivering the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln described the United States as a government “of the people, by the people and for the people”; yet, with the majority of the American public offering little confidence in the War in Iraq, why is our government continuing to ignore the will of the people by prolonging this costly and unnecessary war?

The American people began losing faith in the administration's ability to wage the War in Iraq as far back as 2005. “Nearly three-quarters of Americans say the number of casualties in Iraq is unacceptable, while two-thirds say the U.S. military there is bogged down and nearly six in 10 say the war was not worth fighting,” noted a Washington Post article published in June of 2005 in response to a Washington Post/ABC News poll.

Today, 65 percent of Americans oppose the War in Iraq, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll. An ABC News/Facebook poll in December of 2007 asked users if they believe the War in Iraq was worth it, with 62 percent answering that it was not worth the cost.

An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll published in December of 2007 asked Americans if they approve or disapprove of the job George W. Bush is doing with the handling of Iraq. 63 percent of respondents said they disapprove. The same poll asked if victory in Iraq is still possible, and only 37 percent believe victory remains a possibility.

Worse, in late 2007, a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll reported that 54 percent of those polled do not believe the United States will be able to capture Osama bin Laden, the individual said to be responsible for the planning and execution of the September 11th attacks where more than 3,000 innocent Americans lost their lives. Compare that number to a poll released back in 2001 where a whopping 78 percent of Americans thought bin Laden would be captured and brought to justice.

With the majority of the American people clearly unhappy with the U.S.-led War in Iraq, the question of why our government continues to pursue this obviously unpopular war is warranted. If our government is supposed take its direction from the American people, why are Americans letting the government ignore us?

Like a knife in the back of the American taxpayer, Bush mentioned yesterday that he is considering the possibility of slowing – or entirely stopping – plans to bring U.S. troops home from the battlefield, and said that a significant troop presence in the area will continue throughout his presidency.

Our government needs to begin listening to the wisdom of the American people and begin to develop a sound strategy to withdraw from Iraq. The cost of this unpopular war is skyrocketing towards the trillions, and close to four thousand of our brave men and women in our armed forces have lost their lives (and over 60,000 injured) in this conflict – a conflict that a clear majority of Americans have no confidence in. A large majority of U.S. military deaths occurred after the “Mission Accomplished” speech Bush gave standing on the deck of a Naval war ship.

Shortly before the engagement began several years ago, the popular estimate for the War in Iraq was placed at around $50 billion, although some believed the cost might reach closer to $200 billion. But in reality, the war is costing the American taxpayer just shy of $300 million each and every day, putting the total cost close to $500 billion with no apparent end in sight. When factoring in necessary healthcare costs for troops in the field and re-building military resources lost or damaged in the war, some economists predict a staggering $2 trillion dollar total bill for the war.

The majority of the Democratic candidates running for president support an immediate withdrawal from Iraq. Unfortunately, a good number of those same candidates supported the War in Iraq when it began and voted to give the president the authority to deploy troops into the area. Texas Representative and Republican Ron Paul stands alone as the only candidate who opposed the war from the beginning and voted against the authorization bill.

Enough is enough. The government needs to listen to the will of the American people and end the war and bring our troops home. Let our troops protect our own borders, not the borders of other nations. The American people are no longer tolerating our nation building exercise, and our government “of the people, by the people and for the people” needs to follow the will of those who clearly know better than they do.

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