In rare praise of Bush...

The US President's surprise visit to Iraq is a good time to give him credit for his position on the troop levels. Though President Bush's refusal to commit to a time-line may be in the US's ultimate interests, it is also coincidentally likely to be in the Iraqis' best interests. A full troop withdrawal, as many demagogue politicians are calling for, would only further exacerbate the instability in Iraq. A full-scale civil war benefits neither Iraqis nor the broader region.

While I was clearly against the war from the very beginning, now that the US has started this mess, they need to 'stay the course' and 'finish the job.' Unfortunately pushing for democracy in a country with multiple overlapping ethnicities and religions may not be the most expedient means of stabilizing the country but it is the stated US objective in Iraq and the troops must stay in until Iraqis can again send their children to school with smiles on their faces and dreams of a better tomorrow.

The US presence may instigate certain insurgents but I am not convinced that a US withdrawal would really affect the insurgency. Perhaps on the contrary, certain groups would see as US withdrawal as an opportunity to seize power structures.

I think it was Madeleine Albright who said something on the lines of 'to go to war in Iraq was a choice, to end the war in Iraq is an obligation.'

It seems President Bush agrees.

On a related note, check out this analysis of US geopolitical strategy ATimes, it is quite thorough.