[…] If and when Saddam is killed the question becomes, “Why should American troops continue to die if the dictator is dead?” If the ritual symbolizes victory, why shouldn’t the American troops come home and leave the rest to the Iraqis? Why shouldn’t Paul Bremer III declare victory, set a date for a national Iraqi election and a parallel American troop withdrawal? Or are American troops dying for purposes other than overthrowing the dictatorship?

> From U-M alum Tom Hayden’s “Killing Saddam: A Summer Blockbuster”