Submitted by howard lohmuller, May 16, 2007 13:19

Mayor Koch is right to say the U.S. needs more help, boots on the ground, in Iraq. Turkish troops would be a start. The U.S. should also draw down its own troops throughout the world. Negotiations should begin with Germany, Japan and South Korea for withdrawals of 25,000, 25,000 and 10,000 respectively. Withdrawals could be offset by like contributions to the Middleeast. American forces need recharging and Americans need to know our allies are with us.
The Mayor is wrong to say that we have lost the occupation, however. Occupations are not lost. They are continued or abandoned. The occupation of Iraq should only be abandoned if the legal authority of the Iraq Government orders the coalition to leave by petitioning the U.N., or if our allies determine they cannot support us or ,thirdly if it is no longer necessary.
The idea supported by Democrats that the U.S. must withdraw because it has lost is a cowardly expression of weaklings and rewards our enemy with a substantial base of operations and platform from which to attack us here at home. The enemy tells us this. Mayor Koch should clarify his remarks.

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.