A "Multinational Force" of One

Do you remember Bush's rhetoric about "our" occupation of Iraq being part of a major Multi-National Force, which he called the "coalition of the willing"? Pretty much everyone in the world is calling the Occupation of Iraq a foreign policy disaster. The few governments that fought public opinion in order to "stay the course" are now paying the price by being thrown out of office by voters.

• Just this weekend, Australia elected a Labor government, which has pledged to withdraw from Iraq in 2008
  
• Poland's new Prime Minister has vowed to do the same.
  
• South Korea is expected to bring home its forces next year.
  
• U.K. Prime Minister Brown will continue to cut force down to 2,500 next year. Even Bush-friend former-PM Blair said that the invasion and occupation had “so far been pretty much of a disaster.”
  

American voters realized this too, which is why we voted for change in 2006. It is well past time for Congress to bring the troops home, and end this unwanted occupation.

On a somewhat related note, as much as I'd like to support a female presidential campaign, I am not going to vote for a Presidential candidate unless she/ he is fully committed to ending this war, and establishing some investigation as to the roots of this war. This means that I cannot vote for Hillary unless she admits that her vote to authorize war powers was a mistake. The next occupant of the White House will need to do some major spring cleaning in Washington in order to regain moral authority. Failure to accept responsibility now, will make it impossible for her to launch a real investigation and dramatic change of policy.