One of the main reasons to withdraw troops is the obvious strength of the Iraqi insurgency and the consequential loss of American lives. According to "Paying the Price," the insurgency soared in popularity between 2003 and 2004. In just one year, estimates rose from 5,000 fighters to 40,000 on the side of the insurgency. Essentially, the war has created hardened anti-American sentiments throughout Iraq and the rest of the Middle East. The war, rather than bolster the American cause for freedom and democracy, has instead spawned further acts of terror and inspired increasing numbers of people to take up arms against the United States. Far from being viewed as "liberators," as the Bush administration would like us to believe, Americans are often viewed as terrorists.

Bennis' report, which was written in 2003 near the beginning of the war, supports the view that the invasion was unnecessary and would lead to catastrophic consequences. For instance, Bennis notes that the Bush administration had planned early on to occupy the sovereign nation in an overt take-over. Bennis cites the obvious economic benefits to the United States of such a take-over, such as access to or control over oil reserves and their related profits throughout "Understanding the U.S.-Iraq Crisis." Most critics of the U.S. war in Iraq suggest that at least part of the motives for the invasion was to secure financial gain. The Bush administration cleverly clouded its intentions by claiming to deliver a message of freedom and liberty, to purport protecting the Iraqi people from terrorist regimes, and to promote peace. Such assertions seem laughable today in light of the current conditions in Iraq, and few can comfortably say "it was all worth it" based on the hard evidence contained in such reports as those published by the IPS.

Among the enlightening evidence supplied in "Paying the Price" and in "Understanding the U.S.-Iraq Crisis," the most astounding are the numbers of troops and civilians killed, detailed in the former report. Additionally, tracing the shifts in public opinion since the onset of war demonstrates that more people are becoming disillusioned with the policies of the Bush administration. What amazes me and many others is the still-strong support of the administration in spite of their obvious lies regarding the motives for entering the country, and in spite of the lack of real threat that Iraq had posed before the Untied States attacked, as outlined in section nine of the report by Bennis. Since it is now common knowledge that weapons of mass destruction were also never found and because no clear connection between Iraq and the September 11 attacks hasn't been established, and also because of the lack of international support in favor of the United States, our troops should be removed as soon as possible.