New Iraq plan calls for 21,500 more troops

THE FACTS\nIn a Jan. 10 address to the nation, President Bush unveiled a new strategy for the war in Iraq that will require the Iraqi government to step up its involvement in securing Baghdad The plan is an attempt to curb violent sectarian and insurgent activities. It calls for the deployment of 21,500 more American troops to assist the Iraqis. Has the president made the correct decision? \nEscalation of war is a big mistake\nWhen one thinks of President Bush's philosophy on the war in Iraq, undoubtedly his oft-repeated catchphrase "stay the course" comes to mind. "Stay the course" has resulted in 3,020 dead Americans, 655,000 dead Iraqi countrymen, Abu Ghraib pictures, the Haditha massacre and more body bags for fundamentalists to rally around. Has the Bush administration "freed" the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein only to turn them first into carpet-bomb targets, then throw them into the jaws of civil war? \nBush's so - called "new" strategy -- sending 21,500 more troops to Iraq-- seems oddly like the old "stay the course" mantra. When the advice of this nation's top generals, the findings of the Iraq Study Group and overwhelming public opinion are all ignored in order to escalate a war, I can't help but be skeptical at best, and morbidly terrified of the consequences at worst.\nIncrease is a step toward victory\nAs Bush announced the plan for deployment of so many more troops he finally made the decision that, in so deep into the Iraq conflict as we are, should have been made so many years before now. As a full supporter of Saddam Hussein's necessary removal as a humanitarian and political effort, I believe the Bush administration made an initial error in judgment by sending an inadequate number of troops upon the initial invasion of Iraq on March 20, 2003.\nBush's announcement -- that he will increase troop levels -- falls on thankful ears. Lack of support for a fledgling Iraqi government by coalition forces is a primary reason that the insurgency continues to cause fits in Baghdad. More troops means more support. More support means increased stability. Increased stability means our soldiers come home sooner.