Recently I had a heated discussion with some of my co-workers. This heated discussion was about Obama's talk about unilaterally withdrawing from Iraq. I would like to take this opportunity to tell you my opinion. I did not want the U.S. to go into Iraq in the first place, but that does not change the fact that we are there. The question now is how do we get out?

To truly understand what will happen in Iraq should the U.S. withdraw unilaterally you need to look at another country in the same region, Afghanistan. Yes, Afghanistan, the home country of the Taliban and long time refuge of al-quida. People seem to have forgotten or perhaps never knew what actually happened in Afghanistan.

In 1979 Afghanistan's mujahideen freedom fighters began fighting the Russians 13 years later with the help of the U.S. the Afghanistan Freedom fighters succeeded in freeing their country from soviet oppression. Afghanistan then set up its own government.. There were three factions that had fought long and hard against Russia to free Afghanistan, fighting overwhelming odds and overwhelming firepower at times even downing Russian helicopters with nothing more than pure intestinal fortitude and rocks [no kidding]. The government they formed after the Russian's left was a good government that actually served the people.

Al-quida was there, as was the Taliban, after all they were key figures in the fight for freedom, but the government that was set up was the third faction the mujahideen. Ahmad Shah Massoud the key military leader of the freedom fighters was appointed defense minister under President Burhanuddin Rabbani.

Very shortly after President Burhanuddin RabbanI was elected the U.S. decided to unilaterally withdraw its meager support and the winds of change began blowing in a very ugly direction. Soon al-qaida and the Taliban began fighting to arrest power away from the people. In a ruthless grab for power and an attempt to establish a totalitarian theocracy. This theocracy would exercise a religious iron grip on the nations people.

In 1993 President Burhanuddin RabbanI was overthrown. Massoud was driven into the mountains with a few government loyalist. This formed the basis for the United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan commonly known as the "Northern Alliance". Massoud and the 'Northern Alliance' spent the next 8 years fighting to free his beloved country once again, this time from people they had once fought along side.

Without U.S. support the possibility of overthrowing the Taliban was almost nil but Massoud and his followers continued to fight with only one goal, the dream of restoring their beloved homeland.

Massoud would never see that day. On September 9th 2001 Massoud was killed by an al-quida suicide bomber posing as a reporter.

With the only man capable of deposing them now dead, al-qaida felt free to carry out the devastating attacks of September 11, 2001. Al-qaida knew they could not attempt to execute the plot that was carried out on September 11, 2001 if Massoud was still alive. Had they done so, they knew America would re-establish its support for the 'Northern Alliance' which would re-invigorate the common people of Afghanistan giving Massoud and America a strong foothold in Afghanistan and destroying al-qaidas hold on the people of Afghanistan.

Now think about Iraq. If we make the same mistake in Iraq we did in Afghanistan and withdraw too soon civil war will escalate and someone worse than Saddam Hussein will once again rise to power, set on ruling with an iron fist and allowing terrorists to train openly and freely. This will, some day come back to haunt our children. Once again terrorism will reach our shores, and once again we will find ourselves embroiled in a war involving Iraq and Afghanistan.

We've gone down this path before, we cant afford to make the same mistake again. Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

Thank you to Unheardamericanvoices for posting my words.  I encourage everyone to visit www.DNCReform.com and help take back the Democratic Party.