Why do those pushing for troop withdrawal in the middle east shoot their cuase in the foot?

Why do those pushing for troop withdrawal in the middle east try to make the allied forces look bad when they (the allied forces) claim to be making progress? If there is nothing left to do, then we can leave - If people keep saying no progress has been made, then there will always be more to do and we will never get out. If you're REALLY interested in pulling out, why work so hard at making sure we stay put?
The allied forces are much more likely to withdraw if people pat them on the back and tell them what a good and complete job they've done.

It is amusing how only one person so far seems to have understood the question - the rest of you all seem to be using this as your soapbox to rant about the situation in general (from both sides). -- Not too surprising, since my question was essentially the same thing. My point was pretty simple - by saying "You're not finished", it seems to me that most protesters are ENCOURAGING allied forces to REMAIN THERE - don't they realize that saying "Good job, you're done, now come home." would likely achieve their goal quicker? Regardless of how you feel about us being there in the first place, or remaining there, or ANY of that. If your GOAL is to encourage the withdrawal of troops - shouldn't you WORK TOWARDS that goal instead of shooting yourself and your cause in your collective foot?

Most of us think we need to draw down and refocus those troops back in afganistan where the REAL problem is and always was. That is where we will finf bin Laden and his cohorts.

I've talked to a lot of returning soldiers who think we can't win in Iraq because most people there dont want us there, despite what this administration would have you believe.

We must extend tours and re-surge, we haven't made much progress.

I agree with you to some degree. However, I believe that the best way to get us home is for the Iraqis to stop acting like idiots and take control of their own country. We would have been gone a long time ago if these moronic Islamic militants would stop attacking us. They claim they want us to leave yet they won't act like civilized human beings.

We have no progress.

When we leave, and we will.

A short revolution will happen, executions will be a daily entertainment.

All the political powers current, will be cleansed from the country.

Some religious leader will rise to power as did in Iran.

It will be rough for awhile then settle into the dust.

I think I understand what you are asking.
You believe that by saying the armed forces aren't or haven't accomplished much that means that they need to stay longer and ensure the job is completed and done properly no matter how long it takes.

The opposing view is that after 4+ years in Iraq (specifically) we have not gotten very far in making Iraq a safer or more stable country therefore what purpose are we serving in keeping our troops there. The view is that we have served our intial intention of invading iraq in removing Sadam from power, we have given ample time to assit in the reconstruction and for the Iraqis to establish there own government and security forces. Yet they continue to be unprepared to control there own country. How long will we wait for them to step up and take control? If we continue to "hold there hand", will they continue to "drag there feet".

The Iraqi Government needs to be pressured more. No more month long vactaion becaseu of the heat. Those who are the leadership need to stop looking for answers from someone else and start making their own decisions. THis is what happens after living for decades under a dictator who made all the major decisions. They're conditioned to keep looking to one person to make all the calls. Their police need to act like police.

Once they can demonstrate that they can run theri country and battle terrorists themselves we can start coming home. But as long as we are there they will sit back and watch us do the work. They should have begun the weening off the Coalition process a year ago.

We had no business attacking Iraq in the first place. Iraq was another sovereign nation that in no way threatened, provoked or attacked the United States.
Bush used the 9-11 event as an excuse for invading Iraq because he wanted to 'settle the score' with Saddam Hussein, against whom the Bush family had a long-standing vendetta. Cheney wanted all that OIL swimming underneath Iraq's sands, and the giant U.S. military-industrial complex needed a new 'war' to boost its sagging profits from years of peace time.
Since the United States' unconstitutional, illegal, immoral and unjustifiable invasion, 675,000* Iraqis have died and 3,800 U.S. soldiers have sacrificed their lives so that a handful of wealthy elitists, industrialists and power brokers can become wealthier and more powerful.

*I just had someone e-mail me claiming that the figure of 675,000 Iraqi deaths was a "lie". In 2006, Johns-Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Baghdad's al-mustansiriya University estimated that "655,000 Iraqis died of various causes since the U.S. invasion in March, 2003." This is considerably more than would have died in a comparable period were there not a war. Demographers attributed 601,000 deaths to acts of violence, with 59% of those deaths being Iraqis between the ages of 15 and 44. The research identified "gunshots" as the most prevelant cause of death, but also included deaths by 'airstrikes' and 'car bombs'. This was reported by the "Washington Post" and can easily be found on the Internet. "Goodsearch" "Iraqi War Casualties - total number killed".

This person then accused me of ignorance for repeating such 'lies', asking how many Iraqi deaths I believed would be acceptable as long as I could enjoy my "morning cup of coffee", and be comfortable in my air-conditioned home! I, for one, can easily live without air conditioning or coffee if it means other human beings aren't being murdered.

THAT is exactly what's wrong with most Americans: our avarice, selfishness, arrogance and hubris has reached a point where we honestly believe we should "have it all"; even though we represent only 5% of the global population, we squander 55% of the world's resources, including OIL, gas, and coal. Our pathetic society is headed for a downward spiral, and - sooner, rather than later - Americans will see the decline of the American culture just as the great Greek and Roman empires collapsed because of their own greed and lack of any moral compass.
The U.S. will NOT withdraw from Iraq for decades - maybe even generations - until we've sucked every drop of OIL from Iraq's sands. That's why we're building the largest embassy in the world on a 104-acre site in downtown Baghdad overlooking the 'new' puppet Iraqi government installed by the Bush administration. That's why Halliburton is building fourteen (yes - 14!) new permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq.
There will be no withdrawal - at best we can only expect a draw down of troops. The Bush administration lied to Congress, hoodwinked the American people, and conned our valiant soliders into believing we are "in" Iraq for honorable purpose. We are NOT. We are "in" Iraq solely for OIL and WAR PROFITEERING. -RKO- 09/06/07

They are democrats and liberals.

Nuff said.

Surges, progress & bench marks have nothing to do with it. The Iraqi Gov't stepping up has zero bearing as well. As long as the troops stay in the Mid East there are profits to be made. All your tax dollars Allocated by the Feds to pay for this fiasco are being funneled into corporate bank accounts to allow the filthy rich to live extravegantly off the blood, sweat & sacrifice of our troops & the American tax payer. Mr. Bush likes to refer to this as the price of freedom.