There have been moments in our history when all the right factors aligned to create a tipping point from which anything was possible.

Right now is such a moment. We have the opportunity to end this war and bring the troops home.

There are many new factors that have come into play during the last several weeks. Several loyal Republican senators distanced themselves from the President’s war policy. The most influential newspaper in America, The New York Times, called for immediate withdrawal. Majority Leader Harry Reid committed himself and the Democratic majority to taking on Bush’s failed war policies in the United States Senate. Turkey rallied more than 100,000 troops on their border with Iraq.

While everyone has their own idea on how to save face, it is clear that there is only one option left: withdrawal. We should demand and expect that our presidential candidates exert real leadership, put the political jockeying aside and unite behind a single proposal of immediate withdrawal from Iraq.

Because of the incompetent initiation and execution of the war, very little middle ground remains. It is no longer enough to call for some drawn-out exit strategy that will inevitably lead to the unnecessary deaths of American soldiers. It is no longer enough for our Democratic leaders and candidates to be cautious and politically correct. Now is the time for real leaders to stand and be counted. Now is the time to forcefully advocate for an end to this madness.

The sectarian civil war is relentlessly escalating and recent suicide bombings have resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties. Turkey is massing an enormous number of troops, who are obviously preparing to cross the border into the Kurdish territories. How will we react if the Turks invade northern Iraq? We run the risk of being drawn into a regional war if we stay in Iraq much longer.

This war has sucked the life out of our domestic programs and increasingly more and more money is being poured into this disaster. The estimated cost of the Iraq War is $440,000,000,000 as of today! With that amount of money, can you imagine the number of schools that could have been built, the hundreds of thousands of children enrolled in Head Start, millions of hungry people fed, serious alternative energy sources developed, full college scholarships awarded and the list can go on! New Orleans still lies in a shambles. Our farmers are suffering a great drought. The people of our nation need help and need it now.

It appears that we have been given a perfect moment to act. Who knows how long it will last before some outside factor intrude. We must act now.