Senator Kerry has just given a powerful and persuasive speech on the Iraq war. You can watch video clips or read the transcript online. I have until this point been in support of our continued presence in Iraq without deadline, but I am now convinced that a conditional withdrawl is the best way to go.
The United States has done all it can in Iraq other than performing the duties that ought to be performed by an Iraqi army and police force. We have provided money (of which billions have disappeared without a trace), helped them set up an interim government & constitution, and caught & imprisoned Saddam Hussein who is now on trial for his grotesque war crimes against the Iraqi people. It has been 17 months since Iraqi elections for the interim government and 5 months since elections for a permanent government. Still, the Iraqis have not formed a government - instead they have drifted further into civil war (a.k.a. 'the insurgency.') With more of our people dying every day, we cannot afford to wait indefinitely while the Iraqis delay.
I am convinced that we must set a deadline for the Iraqis to form a government, after which we will remove our forces if a government is not in place. Deadlines are the only thing that seem to compel the Iraqi government members to act. If a government is in place, we can continue to serve as their military and police force for a bit longer - until the year ends is probably a healthy time frame. Faced with this reality, the Iraqis will have no choice but to take on the responsibilities of self-rule and grab the torch - if this is still a possibility. If not, if escalated civil war is already a certainty, there is nothing further we can do to stop them from killing each other at this point - our military would serve no further purpose.