by James Glaser
July 28, 2005

When the stakes get too high and your hand looks bad, it is time to fold your cards and walk away with the chips you have left.

George Bush is not playing with chips, he is playing "High Stakes," with people's lives and he tried to bluff and he got called. George, you, and I are all going to lose this game over in Iraq. We have spent one hell of a bank roll, in fact if you value the lives of the Americans, and the innocent Iraqis who were killed, we lost a priceless amount already.

George Bush has had many reasons for attacking Iraq and staying there as occupiers. The latest is that we are bringing Democracy and freedom to the people of Iraq.

George believes this goal is worth the price, we and the Iraqi people have paid. We paid with the lives of over 1,750 American troops dead and over 13,000 wounded. The Iraqis have paid much more. Conservative estimates claim over 25,000 Iraqis dead and over 100,000 wounded. We really don't know, because we count the American losses, but not Iraq's losses.

Sometimes as the saying goes, "you get what you wish for." Iraq is now using the democratic process to create their own constitution. The Associated Press, reports that a draft copy of Iraq's constitution shows that it will "designate Islam as the main source of legislation." "The draft states no law will be approved that contradicts 'the rules of Islam.'"

So George Bush was able to throw out Saddam Hussein, but it now looks like those Iraqis in charge now, will make their country after Iran's model, not ours.

Timesonline, reports on, "The Iraqi women who fear that democracy will crush freedom." For the women of Iraq, "Oppression and inequality may be enshrined in the new constitution."

At a terrible cost George Bush has brought democracy to Iraq and the majority of Iraqis are going to use that new found tool, to make their country an Islamic State. Iraq, the most modern country in the Middle East before Bush attacked, is about to step back in time several hundred years and their women will be 2nd class citizens.

George bet the bet, and he lost. It is time to take what we have left, and walk away. We can stay, lose more troops, and watch Iraq turn into a theocracy, or we can cut our losses and leave now. Either way Iraq is going to be an Islamic Country, because George Bush gave them the tools needed to attain that goal. That is what the majority of the Iraqi people want. They can get it now, or after they have pushed us out.

Either way it is time for us to "fold them."