Opposing Democracy

The killings of U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians are not because the "insurgents" want the United States to stop running Iraq. For U.S. control to end, all they have to do is allow the democratic elections to take place on schedule in January. Rather, the incessant terrorism is meant to block or destroy the credibility of Iraq's democratic transformation, allowing the thugs to regain control. Ironically, it guarantees not that the U.S. will beat a hasty retreat, but that our soldiers will have to stay in the country even longer. To get the U.S. out of the country sooner rather than later, the terrorism must end.