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The article discusses how the U.S. will implement a military drawdown without compromising its ability to maintain national security as it transitions from years of war. It warns that a botched drawdown could mean that when a call to war is made, brave but unprepared troops will be sent back to battle, citing the failure to anticipate the September 2011 bombings and the Iraq invasion in 2003. The U.S. Army reminds that troops will still be fighting in Afghanistan through 2014.

The article focuses on the position of several U.S. Democrats regarding the war. Senate Democrats voted in favor of giving President George W. Bush the authority to use force in October 2002, one month after the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. John Edwards, who was one of the senators who voted yes, calls that vote a mistake. A poll conducted by Opinion Research in 2007 showed that only 6% of Democrats favor the war compared to the 49% who favored Iraq invasion in a poll conducted in 2002.