In the aftermath of the terrible events in Somalia in the 1990's, Osama bin Laden pegged America as a "paper tiger" unable to stomach the death of our own on the battlefield.  This perception contributed to his boldness in plotting and carrying out the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.  He did not expect, I believe, the decisiveness, the severity, nor the effectiveness of America's response.  As a result, his organization, Al Qaeda, has been greatly weakened.  It is not, however, no longer dangerous.  We are still fighting against it in Iraq today.  And we must continue that fight without the cloud of a withdrawal date.

Al Qaeda members, along with others insurgents from Iran, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere are making the task of establishing a stable and peaceful government in Iraq extremely difficult.  I believe the coverage of the situation there over the last 4 years by the mainstream media has contributed to that difficulty by encouraging and emboldening the agents striving against peace and good.  Setting a definite date for our exit will greatly exacerbate this effect.

Let me illustrate.  When I went back to college at the age of 30, I still had over 100 credit hours left to complete my degree.  The time period from the day I decided to go back until my planned graduation day was almost exactly 1000 days.  During the next 2 years and 8 months or so, I counted down the days.  Whenever things got tough, I just kept counting down, knowing eventually the end day would come.  Finally it did.  I had a lot of people supporting me and praying for me during the process, but having that end date in my mind was a constant encouragement to keep on going.

If we set a timetable in Iraq, we will be providing the insurgents and terrorists in Iraq with the same kind of aid.  Right now, they have no finish line and can only hope their ability to wage terror will outlast our will to fight it.  A timetable will give them a definite end.  All they would need to do to win would be to hold out until the calendar crosses that finish line.

But the pitfalls of a timetable extend beyond the morale and perseverance of the enemy.  Many of the successes we have seen in our struggle over there have resulted from human intel on the ground.  In many of these cases, Iraqi informants have been willing to risk their lives to provide information that enabled our forces to conduct effective military actions against the terrorists.

If the men and women of Iraq who are inclined to help our troops understand that we will only fighting with them for a set period of time, they will become less and less willing to step forward with vital information, especially as the deadline approaches.  As Iraqi intel and cooperation dry up, so will Iraq's chances at a peaceful and stable society.

The recent rash of bombings in Baghdad serve to reinforce in some Americans the conviction that we must leave Iraq.  To me, they confirm the need for us to continue our presence there, to continue fighting.  Does anyone believe these types of attacks will end or even diminish if we leave?  On the contrary, the civil war the media likes to claim is underway now will explode.  Nothing we have seen in terms of violence to this point will compare to the true civil war that awaits the people of Iraq if we leave too soon - and especially if we set a date for our withdrawal.

I suppose if you are among the "blame America for everything" crowd, you might believe peace in Iraq will begin the day after the last American troop steps on the last transport out of Baghdad, but that's just nonsense.  If we leave prematurely, peace and stability in Iraq will only occur once the proponents of freedom there have been vanquished and those that support and carry out terror have absolute control.

Of course, that's exactly what they are after.  If we succumb to the calls for a timetable, we will pave the way to defeat.  And we will show ourselves to verily be Osama bin Ladin's paper tiger.  Even without a timetable, we and the Iraqi people may not be victorious.  Only God Almighty knows if a society largely void of the constant ravages of terror can be attained in Iraq.  It may take a year; it may take a decade; it may never happen.  Setting a timetable will go a long way in making that third outcome the reality.