From Istanbul, a letter to Hillary Clinton's supporters.

[awaysidetraveler]

To Hillary Clinton's Supporters,

I’m a white guy from New York and New Orleans, living in Istanbul. Just around the corner from my apartment, there’s this avenue called Istiklal Cadessi, where thousands of people pour, swarming like bees around one another. The men wear business suits with long black coats, and most of the women don’t cover their hair. Some of the women do, but it’s not stylish here and most of the locals look down on the tradition, believing that it’s not modern and it runs against the city’s western roots.

A few burn victims from Iraq started showing up in the streets here, looking for work. It’s illegal for them to come to the cities, but many run the risk to try and find work. Like American illegal immigrants, they sometimes find jobs in kitchens or in construction.

This one fellow keeps walking through the street with his young wife. Half his face is charred, but you can still see how handsome he was by the other half. Such a stately impression he would make, if it weren’t for his eyes, glowering in anguish.

Turkey is much like America in many ways: it’s a country that embraces a wide variety of cultures and religions, one which practices freedom of religion and expression; it’s a democratic nation, and their patriotism stems from a sense of the importance of those same freedoms that are so dear to us; they even had a civil war, and that civil war bound their nation together as one in much the same way that ours did-–in blood; like us, they understand that if the multicultural integration of their culture fails, so their nation will also fail.

My host, Mustafa, didn’t know me from Adam when we met a few weeks ago. He needed to let a room and I took it. He’s fed me continually since then. Whenever he sees me, he asks if I’m hungry. That’s how people are around here: their hospitality and generosity surpasses ours, in general; one cannot go to the home of a Turk without leaving stuffed, it seems, with all of their finest; I offer Mustafa money for heat or groceries, but he refuses me. It is because of those people–the refugees, the soldiers and the victims–that I believe there is a moral issue at stake in our election. I believe that the existence of those people make a vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton immoral.

Does that shock you?

Here’s why: Hillary Clinton’s plan for Iraq is to reduce troop levels now, leaving bases until around 2013. She believes it will prompt the Iraqis to take over their own government and leave enough time to maintain regional stability. It appears on paper to be a moderate plan, something that most democrats can agree with.

However there is no moderate, middle ground in this position: either we’re in Iraq or out. If we stay in, trying to maintain the peace in a region that’s developing a civil war, then we can only do so by bolstering troop levels. Troops will have to be there to do that work of creating peace-–if such a thing is possible at all. That’s McCain’s position. If that doesn’t work–which it hasn’t–then we’ll have to remove our troops, leaving no bases on the ground in Iraq.

Why can’t we leave bases, you ask? Well, there’s a little thing known as an “infidel” in the Muslim religion, and the word is used to describe other nations that leave troops in this land. If we stay, we are acting like "infidels" by leaving soldiers on their land and forcing our rules upon them. The Koran, which they hold in as high regard as we do the Bible, tells them that they must fight infidels (people who leave bases on their land) until they leave.

This is the truth of our diplomatic situation, which Obama understands and which much of the democratic party does not: leaving Iraq is the only reasonable and moral choice America can make.

I see no sign of Hillary Clinton recognizing this reality. Instead we have a clearly stated war policy that stands no chance of success: she will reduce troop levels, making our soldiers ineffective; and she will leave bases, making our soldiers infidels. This is not a plan for peace; it is a recipe for disaster.

It is on this moral ground that I cannot and will not ever vote for Hillary Clinton. How can I advocate the continuation of an endless war? This is the final division that cuts me away from my own party, stranding me and infuriating me. There are other reasons I will not rally behind her now, but this matter does not act like those other issues. I could look the other way on her bull futures, and I could chalk up the lies she’s told about Obama’s “pro-abortion” position as pure politics. I would rally behind her just as I have rallied behind all the other democratic candidates since Mondale.

I cannot rally behind Hillary Clinton, because I cannot advocate a continuation of this war.

Please don’t divide me from your party. I have no where else to go.