Wow. A plan for getting out of Iraq AND transparency concerning how we're gonna do it. I thought I might never see that in my lifetime. Obama took a big step forward today, in announcing his plan to end the war in Iraq (warning this PDF will probably only open if you are registered with nytimes.com). On reading this I started shaking my head, just thinking of the intricacies and complicated issues in the Middle East. Strategic thinking is going to be the way out, and Obama makes a good case for using diplomacy instead of military pressure to do it. The broad brush strokes the Bush administration has been using to tackle problems in Iraq, which mostly includes throwing more money and resources (American lives) at the problem, is not working. I think the answer to leaving "responsibly" is going to be in the details. Obama has convinced me that he is willing to think strategically about the issues in the Middle East and is not simply concerned with victory (whatever that means).
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