Time to Exit Iraq, A Leading Paper Declares

Editorials criticizing our adventure in Iraq are a dime a dozen, but very few have called for a U.S. pullout. But on Sunday, one of the most respected papers, The Des Moines Register, called on the president to set a timetable for a phased American withdrawal.

By Greg Mitchell

(March 21, 2006) -- For about as long as I can remember (which these days is about two years), I have been agitating in this space for major daily newspapers to call for a phased U.S. pullout from Iraq, or at least the setting of a timetable for same. Once these editorials got the ball rolling, many others would follow, I presumed, and policy might actually change.

Alas, not many have answered the call, as I observed once again two days ago in reviewing some of the third anniversary editorials. Like the vast majority of Americans, editorialists have turned against the war but are hesitant, or just plain afraid, to suggest that the U.S. reverse course. Maybe President Bush admitting on Tuesday that he planned to keep U.S. troops in Iraq at least until he leaves office will force some to confront this prospect.