One plan would have America begin its exit from Iraq through a phased withdrawal similar to that proposed this spring by Rep. John Murtha, a Democrat of Pennsylvania and former Marine. Another would have America make a last push to internationalize the military occupation of Iraq and open a high-level dialogue with Syria and Iran to persuade them to end their state-sanctioned policy of aiding terrorists who are sabotaging the elected government in Baghdad.Like this guy, I don't think that this will happen while Bush is president, not unless something extraordinary happens at the upcoming elections. I don't think a family intervention will set this guy straight.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Iraw: Two options
From the Iraq Study Group, "a bipartisan team headed by longtime Bush family friend James A. Baker III and former 9/11 Commission chair Lee Hamilton"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
The problem is that neither of these options will do the trick. There is no way to secure order in Iraq without putting in more (and I mean MANY more) U.S. troops. Only after we have done so and managed to completely pacify at least Baghdad and a corridor to the sea and the airport will we have the kind of credibility that is required to get other countries to put their own people's lives in jeopardy to solve our problems. There is no way to "internationalize" the mess, without making it less messy first. More U.S. troops is not the solution, but there is no solution that does not include that. The only other option is to cut and run. I myself feel that the latter would be a bad move, however it would be preferable to bleeding our Army until the political anger builds up to the point that we eventually cut and run anyway.
The biggest problem faced by those who initially opposed the war is a failure to accept that we lost that battle. Many of us have a tendency to believe that our initial opposition somehow absolves us of the consequences not only of the war itself, but of anything that should follow it. I for one do not believe the rosy scenarios being pushed by those favoring a pullout, those that suggest that the US presence is causing the disorder in Iraq and that its removal will calm things down. As such, I am not ready to support a pullout, knowing that I will share responsibility for everything that follows in the event that we do pull out.
Post a Comment