Liberal arrogance

The Lexington Herald-Leader reported that Rep. Ben Chandler D-Ky. called for immediate troop withdraws from Iraq after a weekend trip.

Chandler said the pullout should begin right away to force the Iraqi government to stand on its own, according to the story.

"I think we need to leave them with as stable a situation as we can but we need to lift off from the country as soon as possible," the Democratic congressman told the Lexington Herald-Leader in an interview. "I think it's time to start withdrawing," he said.

Leaving immediately will certainly not leave Iraq in a stable situation.

The Iraqi government has made great strides over the last year and have shown themselves increasingly able to take over their own security. But they have not reached the point where they can handle it on their own.

A parent does not expect a child to swim until they have developed the ability to do so. Would any parent throw their child into the pool to force them to swim? Would any parent risk their child's life in such a reckless manner?

As Bush and other leaders have repeatedly said, the U.S. cannot and should not pull out the troops until the situation on the ground warrants a reduction in forces.

Chandler exhibits an arrogance typical of many politicians. He spent less than 24 hours in Iraq. Now wants to use this experience to establish credibility in order to bolster the same wrongheaded policy that the left has advocated for over a year, as if his whirlwind trip makes him better able to determine military strategy than the generals who have spent the last several years fighting the war.

Ironically, if conditions in Iraq continue to improve, the "pull out now" strategy will soon become the right strategy, and I'm sure the liberals will claim they were right it all along.