It is time to leave Iraq, as soon as possible – George Will – W.P.

In today’s Washington Post George Will, the same Republican conservative thinker who days ago said it was time to leave Afghanistan now says that we must leave Iraq much sooner than even Obama wants us to do.  He says we have achieved little, that he can find no socially redeeming factors in our staying and that we need to leave the Iraqis to sort out their own problems.

I personally remember hearing him vehemently defend our involvement in Iraq on many, many talk shows over many years during the Bushite reign.  I am having a little trouble adjusting my reality bearings relative to American conservatism and George Will, a major speaker of same, over the last week.  To say that I am confused is an understatement.  Where have these people been over the last nine years?

What exactly does the GOP believe relative to damned near anything anymore?  Since roughly 31% of all Americans routinely and consistently poll as conservatives and/or Republicans in virtually any poll given by any pollster regarding any subject it is imperative that we know what it means to be a conservative.  What are the platforms? the groundrules?  the core values? What the hell is going on?

If these people really believe now that we should not be in Iraq and we need to leave Afghanistan I am having a hard time believing that they just had a political awakening since Bush left office.  I am sorry.  They are much too smart, too well travelled, too informed, too well educated and too well connected for that to be true.  They either believed this all along and decided to say nothing for reasons that had to do with continued access to the White House or they have had a psychic change. 

I doubt that they have had a psychic change because that is extremely rare for a human being.  It is possible, but it is so rare that it is life changing.  Think of Francis of Assisi, Dr. Albert Schweitzer or Mother Theresa.  If Will has truly just had a psychic change, it will be Brother George in just a year or two or something just as drastic and just as selfless.

This really bothers me. 

If Will had come out with these opinions years ago when I suspect he started to fear that his previous support for unlimited war mongering in western Asia was wrong, given his position within conservative power circles in the U.S. and abroad, he could have saved thousands of American and NATO soldiers’ lives.  He truly has enormous power among conservatives.  If he had faced his fellow conservatives down, he may have lost a career, he may have besmirched his standing as a conservative, but he would have literally saved lives.

Now he is against both wars?

Why do I not feel good about this?  Why do I feel somehow dirty over the fact that George Will, a tremendous presence in conservative circles, now agrees with me?

Why do I want to shout "Where in the hell have you been?"

CWO3 Tom Barnes, USCG (Ret.)