We are seeing progress in Iraq. Since March 2007, violence has dropped by more than 90 percent and a stable, safe and democratic Iraq has begun to prosper. Iraqi forces, both Sunni and Shiite, are becoming much more active in defending their nation. U.S. forces are lessening their role. These successes can be attributed to last year’s troop surge, a policy that even Barack Obama declared has "succeeded beyond our wildest dreams." When many in the United States saw this as a disastrous decision, John McCain stood up for what he saw as right and supported the surge. He is right on this issue and is the best man to direct our Iraq policy.

Let's set McCain's record on Iraq straight. In 2003, he voted with the Senate to authorize the United States to attack Saddam Hussein and Iraq. From the start he criticized President Bush and then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s handling of the war, arguing that we didn't send enough troops. McCain called for a troop surge years before it was actually enacted and risked his political career to support the troop surge when it was announced in early 2007. That troop surge has been a success and shows how his judgment is right when it comes to leading our military.

John McCain wants to get most of our troops out of Iraq as soon as possible. But he also doesn’t want to leave Iraq unstable and unable to govern and defend itself. Because we don’t know how long this might take, we can’t set a timetable for troop withdrawals. What happens if we set a timetable and Iraq hasn’t reached a point where it can stand on its own? Do we just pull out and say “figure it out on your own”? Absolutely not. We need to stay in Iraq as long as it takes to ensure that the nation can govern itself. This may take 16 months, which is the length of Obama's timetable. It may take less time, but it also may take longer.

Democrats will quote McCain as saying he wants to be in Iraq for the next 100 years. Aside from being taken out of context, this attack shows a strategic gap in Democrats' thinking. Obama’s call for a full troop withdrawal sure sounds good, but this fortune-cookie answer overlooks a vital reality in international politics. Do we really want to not maintain a presence in a volatile region populated by organizations and states intent on harming us and our allies? We've been in Germany and Japan for 60 years and South Korea for 50 years. Our military presence has made the world much more secure. The United States needs to maintain a long-term presence in the Middle East in order to ensure stability in the region. And, to put McCain's words in context, he said that it would be fine to keep some troops in Iraq only if they weren't being harmed.

In John McCain, we have an experienced and knowledgeable man who knows our military, has the judgment needed to lead it and can keep it on the right track. When it comes to Iraq, McCain knows how to direct our troops to secure a stable nation and region and bring most of them home.

This viewpoint was written on behalf of the University' chapter of the College Republicans.