We'll be out of Iraq by 2013? Hey, it's Better than 2108!

John McCain has announced that he believes we can win the Iraq war by 2013. 2013. That's 5 years from now.

McCain certainly deserves credit for honesty. If this isn't straight talk, then what is? But I fail to see how we can take any comfort from his claim. 5 more years in Iraq means thousands more American soldiers killed in battle, more military suicides (which are already at an all-time high since 1990), and longer, more frequent tours of duty. Oh, and let's not forget the near $1 TRILLION price tag. This country simply cannot afford 5 more years of war, especially with such dubious benefits. Granted, it is an improvement over 100 years, but not by much.

It be irrelevant however, because the voting public is not in the mood for such a message, and really never was. Polls suggest pretty clearly that had President Bush told the public exactly what the Iraq war was going to entail, rather than the picture of being greeted as liberators after an easy victory that was painted, this war would never have happened. And now with nearly 70% of Americans wanting us out of Iraq within 6 months, such an announcement by McCain cannot bode well for his candidacy.

I suggest a more straightforward aproach. The goal in invading Iraq was to take down Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. We did that. Declare victory and come home.