Bring U.S. troops home by end of '06. by John Kerry

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/14829393.htm

Half of those whose names are inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial were lost after America's leaders knew our strategy would not succeed. It was immoral then, and it is immoral now, to be quiet or equivocal in the face of such delusion.

Our soldiers, no matter how brave, can't bring democracy to Iraq simply with a gun barrel; the Iraqis themselves must build their democracy. And it will never be done if Iraq's leaders are unwilling to make the compromises that democracy requires.

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We will not leave Iraq vulnerable. Under my plan, the United States will maintain an over-the-horizon military presence in the Middle East to fight the war on terror and protect regional security interests. We will finish training Iraqi security forces - and hold the president firm to his word that when Iraqis stand up, we will stand down. So far, the Iraqis have trained 265,600 security forces - just 7,000 shy of the Bush administration's stated goal of 272,566. Where's the standing down?

Americans can vote for the war or against it.