Our successful, if not a little questionable and not to mention widely perceived to be illegal, toppling of Saddam Hussein and liberation of Iraq in 2003 were followed by a spectacularly unsuccessful, and much more questionable, attempt at finding Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. Following the euphoric celebrations of freeing a country from an oppressive dictatorship, more than seven years later, we are still deeply mired in Iraq.
With over 650 billion spent since then, our 50,000 remaining troops there is still massively taxing our ailing economy, and despite several assurances, withdrawal of our forces from there is still not a feasible option, as the young democracy of Iraq is still dependent on us to maintain a semblance of order in the country. A sudden departure by our troops will create a vacuum that will quickly be filled with militias and more worryingly, the Al-Qaeda. An exit strategy is needed badly, and the candidate with a credible withdrawal plan can expect to score some massive plus points with the American public.
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