WASHINGTON (Map, News) - With no end to the war in sight, Iraq has become a major issue in the U.S. presidential race.

Presidential hopefuls Sens. Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama have each formulated strategies on Iraq.

Clinton has outlined a three-step plan to end the war and bring the troops home within 60 days of taking office; Obama’s plan calls for a total pullout of troops within 16 months; and McCain's plans include an increase in troop levels and no timetable for withdrawal.

In the United States and Britain, calls for the immediate withdrawal of troops continue.

Hoover senior fellow Victor Davis Hanson sums it up: “Most Americans now don’t think our Middle East venture is worth it-not just because of the cost we pay but because of what we get in return.”

Hanson is convinced that the current surge is working...[but] understands that, in the minds of many Americans, the costs of this war, and indeed the “entire region, are not worth the bones of a single Marine.” Hanson argues that, aside from such understandable sentiment, Americans need to remember “a consensual government in Iraq — not just plebiscites — is in our long-term strategic interest.”

Likewise, Hoover senior fellow Thomas Henriksen states, “a stabile Iraq will go a long way in the fight against global terrorism; but in itself will not defeat the threat, which will last for perhaps decades.”

Read more @ www.hoover.org

Comments from Examiner Readers

2:54 AM MST on Thu., Apr. 17, 2008 re: "Douglas Elmendorf: Tackling the mortgage mess"

Examiner Reader said:
The notion that deadbeats should get renters' tax money because "homeownership encourages responsible citizenship' is insane. My decision not to enter the real-estate market the last five years was based on responsible citizenship. The people who bought with no money down and interest-only loans are not, and never will be, responsible. "Homeownership' is not a virtue. It's elitist to say so. And untrue. In SF, the Bayview has one of the highest levels of owner-occupied properties, and it's a cesspool of violence.

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7:31 AM MST on Wed., Jan. 2, 2008 re: "Jordan Ballor: Tithing is about giving, not getting"

BennyFactor said:
As Christians really study the new Covenant and early Christian history, we find that tithing was required onlty in the old Covenant, where Priests were solely responsible for interceding and praying to God on behalf of all Jews. Priests were required to share excess tithes with the poor and were forbidden from any and all ownership. But, in the new Covenant we have Jesus to replace the priests and we can talk to Him ourselves. This is why institutional tithing was not practiced for the first 800 years of Christianity. Now, and particularly in America, church is just another capitolist (worldly) entity and callings have morphed into careerism, requiring salary and benefits, but no taxes or accountability. Likee the drug trade, the only way to save the church from careerist leaders is to take the Prophet motive out of it, teach the truth that soliciting tithes is out of Christian order. Then we will cease to attract church leaders in need of worldly self-enrichment and ego-stroking.

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12:25 AM MST on Thu., Dec. 6, 2007 re: "Independent Institute: Blame political parties, not the voters, for bad leaders"

Examiner Reader said:
No License if you dont vote... End of story

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3:19 PM MST on Wed., Nov. 28, 2007 re: "The Hoover Institution: No Child Left Behind�s unpredictable future"

Examiner Reader said:
NCLB was doomed from the beginning. Education in the 1950's was completely dummed down to accomodate the desegregation of the public schools and to make sure the black students were not overwhelmed by the white schools' advanced curriculums. What should have occurred at that time was to start integrating the schools beginning with Kindergarten. The old reliable method of teaching would have continued thus at the end of the senior year of high school, the diploma would represent a real 12 year education instead of a high school diploma in this day and age only representing the equivalent of a sixth grade education at the most. Compared to today's standards, my 1952 high school diploma is equivalent to a four year college degree. Common sense was not the rule when desegregation took place.

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4:44 AM MST on Wed., Sep. 12, 2007 re: "Philip H. Gordon: The Bush administration is fighting the wrong war"

Examiner Reader said:
It is amazing how the wearers of the tinfoil hats protect yourselves from sunburn,just stick your head down a hole,and let the world and reality pass you by. The trouble with your naive "Chamberlin "like "attitude is that when Osabama etal.,arrive on our shores, as they surely will if we tuck tail and run, is that your ilk will be the first to go. Your lack of social and moral values will excite his need to slowly saw off your heads to improve his surroundings!

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9:32 AM MST on Wed., Aug. 15, 2007 re: "Matthew Spalding: A way forward for Bush regarding immigration"

Examiner Reader said:
Your Aug. 15 �Scoop� remind us that Cameron Diez was making Chinese propaganda in Peru, at the time of the last immigration debates in congress in June/07. Latin Americans won�t pay to see her movies, no chin-chin and no moral support.

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