Pulling Out Of Iraq

I am actually quite pleased that the leading Democratic Party candidates were all unwilling to promise that we will be out of Iraq by the end of their term.

An intelligent President will base policy on the available evidence. Every candidate should be well aware of the fact that he or she is going to be presented with facts that she or he does not have at this moment. To make a promise in the absence of that information is to say, "Whatever I do not know that I might learn in the future is irrelevant. It does not matter what else I may learn, my current (though incomplete) knowledge is sufficient."

Clinton's answer, "It is difficult to know what we're going to be inheriting," was entirely correct. It is a statement that says, "I do not have all of the information I need to make a decision, and I will not make that decision until I have the available evidence."

Some people think that they already know the right answer to that question. This is an arrogant, presumptuous, and irresponsible position to take.

This also explains why certain intangibles are important in an elected official. We will not be able to see everything the President sees when making a policy. So, the best we can do is to support a candidate whose character is such that he or she will do the right thing based on the available evidence, including evidence we will never see ourselves.