The Iraq war should not be happening. It is as simple as that. There is no legitimate reason for us to be there. In fact, Iraqi officials have stated that they would not see a need for American troops after 2011. If they do not want us there, we should not be risking US lives to offer "protection" that is not wanted by Iraqi citizens.

I have nothing but the deepest respect for those men and women fighting in Iraq. They put their lives on the line every day so that other people do not have to, and I admire that. But admiration is not bulletproof, and neither are the brave soldiers of our military.

Instead of spending hundreds of billions of dollars to put American lives in unnecessary danger and kill those whom our semi-democratic government deems terrorists, we should be using this money to fix our own country’s numerous financial problems. We should clean up our own streets, fix our flawed education system, feed our homeless. Or better yet, helps those who truly need our help, such as the starving in Darfur or the dying in Cambodia. Our success has been limited in Iraq and the cost, both in lives and in dollars, has been unjustifiable. And the people whom we are trying to protect are getting caught in the crossfire.